Guardians of Remnant
by InfiniteKingdom
Summary: Following the war with Xehanort, Remnant enters a new age of peace. But as the Vytal Festival Tournament rolls around, a Witch, her six followers, and certain Hero of Justice emerge to shatter the peace Sora and Ruby fought so hard to achieve. I do not own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY, or Fate. They are owned by Square Enix, Rooster Teeth, and Type-Moon respectively
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant: Dawn's beginning**

Chapter 1 – Prologue

* * *

Long ago

An area long forgotten in the deepest pits of Remnant, stood two beings at odds with each other. One of light and one of darkness.

There was no fighting, as that has long since passed. The only thing that remained was their endless attempt to understand one another. To pull the other to their side. To finally end this war for understanding.

The being of Darkness, displeased with the progress of her conflict decided to end it for now. So she decided to recite a story that she had heard among her many travels.

 _"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light_ " she began. _"Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared"_ she said _._ The being of light grimaced, staring at the being of darkness with disapproval. He knew where she was going with this, and he wasn't happy.

 _But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children"_ She Continued _. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now"._ She raised up her arms in a way that said "Yea, right here, this god forsaken wasteland that you call a world"

 _"But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open and the true light will return"._ She finished.

After finishing her tale she began to laugh hysterically. The being of light stood unwavering in her attempt to sway him over with such a tale.

The being of Darkness then continued to speak. "Hmph, it amuses me how much mankind has grown fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past. You and I both know that story is so far from the truth" the woman said.

"The mere notion that the brightest lights can defeat the deepest darkness is a noble thought….but a foolish reality. Even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return". She glared at the being of light menacingly before she continued.

"So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world", but take heed... there will be no victory in strength". She said with an almost innocent smile.

The being of light smiled in return and responded. "But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul" He said with a confident smile on his face. "I believe the soul is the doorway to something so much greater than we can possibly imagine".

"Oh, I couldn't agree more, but what does every door need?" the darkness replied with a devious smile on her face. "A Key". She said plainly before disappearing into the darkness leaving the being of light alone in his thoughts.

* * *

6 months ago

April 19th

Soon after Sora arrived at Beacon Academy.

"So this is Beacon Academy" Sora stood in one of the many hallways in awe of the superstructure he found himself in. "Master Yen Sid said that it would be big but I never imagined this, how am supposed to find anything in this place!" the spiky haired boy exclaimed.

Following Sora's Mark of Mastery exam, Sora went to do some training on his own for a few weeks until Master Yen Sid contacted him and told him to go to the world of Remnant and report to Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy. The world had a huge influx of Heartless in addition to the monsters they had already. Creatures known as "Grimm". When Sora asked where he would find this academy and its headmaster, Yen Sid simply responded while stroking his long beard "Worry not Sora, follow your heart and you will find your way"

"I know the Master is wise and all, but he is really bad at giving directions. Sometimes I just wish he doesn't have to be so cryptic and mysterious about everything". Sora Sighed in resignation. "Maybe I should just find a teacher or something". Sora looked up at a clock. It was currently 8:55 AM. "Everybody is probably in cla-AHHHHHH!"

Sora was suddenly tackled onto the hard floor but what seemed to be a red blur. After cringing in pain from the sudden hit, Sora opened his eyes to see a girl with silver eyes and shoulder length black hair with red tints in it on top of him. She was dressed a black blouse, a black waist cincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings, complete with a red cloak.

Sora stared up at the girl with a curious look. The girl stared back at Sora, soon realizing the position the two of them were in. Her face was then as red as her cloak. She jumped up waving her hands apologetically while speaking about as fast Sora's valor form. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't see you I'm really in a rush I'm going to be late for class!" The girl said to the Sora panicking and embarrassed.

Sora then got up and smiled "Hey it's alright, accidents happen all the time, don't worry about it" He told the girl reassuringly. The girl sighed in relief. Sora, for some reason didn't mind what happened, he actually thought the girl was really cute. But that could come later, he had a job to do.

The girl now calm, didn't want to admit it but she thought the boy was cute as well. So she decided to introduce herself to the boy. "Anyway, hi I'm Ruby, it's nice to meet you. Are you here for the tournament later this year?" She put her hand out to the boy for him to shake.

Sora took her hand and shook it. "Hi, I'm Sora. I'm actually new here, I'm supposed to meet a guy named Ozpin, you wouldn't know how to find him would you?" Sora asked smiling and rubbing the back of his head.

"Professor Ozpin? Yea just take the elevator at the end of the hall and go to the top floor. That'll be his office" she said with a warm smile.

"Really, that's it? Ive been walking around this school for an hour and all I had to do was take the elevator up!" he said surprised and embarrassed.

"Yep that's it! You should probably hurry if Ozpin was expecting you, otherwise you'll have to deal with professor Goodwitch"

"Who's Professor Goodwitch?" Sora asked.

"She's a teacher here at Beacon and Ozpin's assistant. Let's just say…just stay on her good side, for your sake" Ruby answered with a concerned look on her face. Sora was starting to sweat beads.

 _"This Professor Goodwitch sounds scary, but she couldn't be all that bad with a name like Goodwitch"_ Sora thought to himself.

"Listen" Ruby continued. "If your nervous, just press all the buttons in the elevator so you can have time to prepare yourself" she said almost as if from experience.

"Yea that's sounds like a great…no wait, if I'm already late and I press all the buttons wouldn't that just make it worse when I do get up there?" Sora explained.

"Uh…yea now that you mention it don't do that" Ruby replied sheepishly. The two of them began to laugh at the thought.

"Anyway it was nice meeting you Ruby. If you're free later I would love it if you could show me around the school" Sora said giving his signature wide grin.

"Yea sure, I would love to! How about 7 tonight? Ruby asked excitedly. "Sounds like a plan! See you then!" Sora said giving a thumbs up.

Ruby watched the boy as he left. She still had a huge smile on her face. "Sora…he seems so nice and genuine. It's weird, I could just feel the light just resonating from him" Ruby said to herself

Ruby was so lost in thought she didn't hear the set of footsteps behind her. "SOOOOO…who's the boy little sis? A girl said teasingly.

Ruby jumped back and saw it was none other than her sister and teammate Yang Xiao Long. Yang had long blonde hair and lilac eyes. She wore a tan vest with gold piping over a yellow low-cut crop top with a black crest that resembles a burning heart, black shorts under her belt, which resembles a pleated skirt in the back. Over her short shorts is a white asymmetrical back skirt, and brown knee-high platform boots with orange socks of different lengths.

She also wears fingerless black gloves underneath her weapons, The Ember Celica, which resemble two yellow mechanized gauntlets that fire powerful projectiles. To finish it off she wears an orange infinity scarf around her neck.

Yang can be very impulsive most of the time. She usually likes to tease people all the time just like she was doing to Ruby. Despite her friendly and fun personality, she can often let her emotions get the better of her. You wouldn't like Yang when she's….upset.

"YAAAAANNNGG, it's not like that! I just met him, he's new and I helped him find where Professor Ozpin is-AHH!" Ruby squealed in protest before she was pulled into the death inducing bear hug of Yang.

"Oh Ruby, your growing up so fast I'm so happy for youuuu!" She said happily while squeezing Ruby's head into her breasts. "Ynnnngg can't breathe" Ruby struggled to get out. Yang then released her from the brink of death. "Sorry you know I'm just playing with you sis, but seriously who was he? He seemed nice" Yang said as though nothing happened.

Ruby, with oxygen in her lungs once again then said "Yea he is nice, but like I just said I just met him. His name is Sora" Ruby explained but then noticed two other girls appear from behind Yang. The first of the two girls then interjected into their conversation.

"This doesn't matter right now you dunce, were going to be late for class!" The girl rudely exclaimed.

This girl was none other than Ruby's teammate Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the Schnee dust company, one of the largest producers and exporters of Remnant's most common form of energy propellant, an element simply known as Dust.

Weiss had icy clue eyes and long white hair pulled back in an off-center ponytail, at the base of which is a small tiara that resembles icicles. She is dressed in a pale blue bolero jacket over a similarly colored thigh-length dress with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of the dress. Holstered on her side was her multi action Dust rapier, Myrtenaster

The inside of her bolero is red and the sleeves turn blue as they get closer to her wrists. The back of the bolero displays the Schnee Crest, which bears a resemblance to a snowflake.

She also wears an apple-shaped necklace along with a pair of thin, rectangular earrings, and white heeled wedge boots that go to her mid-calf. The most unique feature that Weiss has besides her cold attitude to people would be the crooked scar down her left eye.

But Ruby knew Weiss better than that, she knows that under than cold exterior is a heart of gold, loyal to those she deems her friends. Weiss had a hard upbringing, always expected to be perfect in every way, never being able to make her own choices. This made it hard for her to trust and accept people who get close to her.

"We don't have time for boys! Wouldn't you agree Blake?" Weiss asked the second girl.

The girl in question was Blake Belladonna, the final member of Team Ruby, a Faunus, and a former member of the Faunus extremist group, The White Fang.

Blake had long, wavy black hair, amber eyes, complemented by light-purple eye shadow flaring backwards. Blake wears a black buttoned vest with coattails, and a white sleeveless undershirt that exposes part of her midriff with white shorts, black low-heeled boots and stockings that start off black at her hips, but gradually fade to purple as they near her shoes.

On the outside of her stockings, there are white emblems that resemble belladonna flowers. She has black ribbons on both of her arms, with a black detached sleeve and a silver band on her left arm. She also wears a detached scarf-like collar around her neck, a gray magnetic plate strapped to her back like a backpack, for holstering her multipurpose weapon, Gambol Shroud.

Blake tops it off with a black ribbon tied in the form of a bow which she almost never takes off, even when she goes to sleep. This bow is a cover for her Faunus heritage, a pair of black cat ears.

Blake can be pretty mellow most of the time. She is usually cool, calm, and collected most of the time. There are times when she can display a temper, especially against people who discriminate based on racial prejudice.

Despite her past actions with the White fang, Blake has the utmost respect for people's lives, Human or Faunus. She doesn't want to achieve equality through fear and violence, but through peace and understanding. Even though she has left this part of her life behind, parts of it still come back to haunt her.

Blake was only half listening to the rest of her team's conversation as she was engrossed in the book she was currently reading. "Ruby's a big girl, she can make her own decisions, Weiss" Blake said with little emphasis or emotion, never looking up from her book.

Weiss pouted and decided to forget about this matter for now. "Fine, never mind, ill drop this for now. But Ruby, you need to seriously stop changing the time on our alarm clock!" Weiss criticized the red hooded girl.

"What kind of person sets their alarm for 6:30 if their first class is at 9? I mean I would have thought you of all people would need more sleep. Maybe then you wouldn't be so cranky all the time!" Ruby said jokingly.

"Cranky? I am not Cranky, so stop saying those kind of things! You know it takes at least two hours for me to look exceptional and presentable. I can't just go out however I like, I have an image to keep. To be completely honest it doesn't surprise me how much you need to sleep considering the amount of sugar you consume!" the heiress angrily replied.

Before their spout could continue, Blake decided to look up from her book and interject "Hey guys" She said to Ruby and Weiss. They turned to her and noticed she was pointing toward the clock. It was now 8:59. Both Ruby and Weiss squealed and ran as fast as they could, leaving behind a trail of smoke. Yang turned to Blake and laughed "nice one Blake" She said. The Faunus gave a light laugh in return. "Those two are hopeless, you would think they would realize by now that Professor Port always arrives to class 10 minutes late" The two laughed and continued to walk to class.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Sora and the members of Team RWBY, in the distance within Beacon forest stood a group of 13 men in black coats. The leader of this group looked on as he saw Sora head up to the highest tower in Beacon and the members of Team RWBY depart.

All the while having a dark and devious smile upon his face. He appeared to be a simple old man, bald except for thin eyebrows and a curled, silver goatee. His ears were pointed and his eyes were yellow.

He had broad, hunched shoulders and a crooked back. His overall appearance can certainly be deceiving, hiding the immense power he possessed. This man was known as master Xehanort

A second man walked to the side of Master Xehanort, pulling down his hood, revealing long blue hair, pointed ears, yellow eyes, and an x shaped scar between his eyes. Master Xehanort noticed the man and asked in his cold raspy voice "Speak your mind, boy. I don't have time for dillydallying".

"It's nothing master" The Luna diviner said. "It's just that the boy still isn't strong enough to be one of the lights, yet here he is".

"I admit, I am disappointed in his progress, but all in good time, Isa" The seeker of Darkness responded calmly.

"What of the thirteenth vessel? We are still in need of one last darkness" Isa asked.

Mater Xehanort, hunched over with his hands behind his back as always, turned to Isa and responded "Do not worry yourself with such concerns. My younger self has already saw to this predicament. A young woman, a Ms. Cinder Fall, has agreed to join us".

"That's wonderful news master. I will see that she is properly trained in the use of darkness". Isa said plainly

"Hmph, I don't think you will have much difficulty, I was told she has a strong connection to the darkness. She will have little trouble using it".

Xehanort then stepped forward and raised his hands to the sky "Soon, at the fated place, our thirteen darknesses will clash with the seven lights and the _X_ – blade will be forged! Then the Keyblade War will be Reborn! Finally the promise of a world in true balance will be a reality!" Xehanort exclaimed victoriously.

* * *

3 months ago

July 22nd

In the ruins of what was once the Southern District of Vale

Under a beautiful, blue, heart shaped moon stood three warriors. They were bruised, bloodied, and tired after a long and heated battle.

In their battle against Xehanort, Sora and his friends managed to defeat all of his darknesses. All of them faded back into the darkness from whence they came.

All that remained was Master Xehanort himself.

Despite the odds in Sora's favor, Xehanort still managed to open Kingdom Hearts and obtain the _X_ – Blade. His power was simply overwhelming.

After engaging Xehanort, Sora was then thrown into the Realm of Darkness. There he met Aqua, a former pupil of Master Eraqus. Together they freed themselves from the Realm of Darkness and found themselves at Castle Oblivion.

There, Sora would unlock and free the people connected to his Heart.

A denizen of the dark, someone who truly embodied the very essence of twilight

Roxas.

A witch with the power to control the memories of Sora and those connected to him. Someone who's innocence, purity, and wisdom knows no bounds.

Namine.

A puppet who was never meant to develop their own identity. A forgotten memory comprised of happiness, kindness, and sorrow.

Xion.

An imperfect replica of Sora's best friend. A person whose memories were nothing but lies, doomed to a meaningless existence.

Riku's Replica.

Finally, a person with a shattered heart, who found sanctuary within the heart of a young boy. Always watching over Sora since he was young.

Ventus.

Together these seven heroes traveled back to Remnant in hopes of stopping Master Xehanort once and for all.

Soon after returning, the battle with Xehanort was reaching its end, as most of Sora's allies were defeated, unable to continue fighting.

Even Sora's new reinforcements were soon defeated.

The only ones left standing against Master Xehanort was Aqua, Sora, and Ruby.

Master Xehanort stood with the _X_ \- Blade at his side.

Aqua had her Stormfall Keyblade, Sora had his signature Kingdom Key, and Ruby had her High caliber sniper scythe, Crescent Rose.

While Sora and Ruby engaged with Xehanort, Aqua managed to find an opening and fired a beam of light from her keyblade.

The beam pierced through Xehanort, bringing him down to one knee.

"Why you insolent child! I've lost my patience with you!" Xehanort shouted in anger. "Dark Firaga!" Xehanort shot a large blast of dark fire from his keyblade toward Aqua.

Aqua was fast enough to dodge it and cartwheeled to avoid the blast, but she wasn't fast enough to see what was coming next.

Xehanort had suddenly leapt into the air above Aqua. "Meteor Crash!" Xehanort struck the ground with the full force of a meteor, enveloping the Area in a fiery blast. Aqua felt the full force of the attack and was knocked back against the shattered wall of what was once Junior's Club.

Aqua was slow to get up, her right shoulder was dislocated, a few of her ribs were shattered, and several bones in her left leg had been broken. But she still managed to get up, ready to fight.

Unfortunately she still wasn't fast enough to dodge the next of Xehanort's attacks.

"Dark Haze!" Xehanort enveloped his body in darkness and charged at Aqua, bringing down the _X_ – Blade across her chest, sending her flying and destroying what little remained of Junior's club.

Aqua was out cold unable to keep on fighting. Xehanort slowly approached her motionless body and raised his keyblade above her ready to strike her down for good. "I do believe you've overstayed your welcome, _Master Aqua_ " Xehanort said in a mocking tone.

"Leave her Alone!" came the voice of a young girl. Xehanort turned around to see a red blur charging at him at impossible speeds, swinging her scythe around her and bringing it down, slashing his cheek.

Xehanort slapped her away sending her crashing into the ground. Luckily Sora managed to catch her in time.

"Are you ok Ruby, are you hurt?" Sora asked with the utmost concern for the girl he had grown to care about so deeply.

"Yea I'm ok, thanks." Ruby said with a warm smile. Then it became serious once again. "We have stop him before he kills her!" Ruby regained her bearings and stood strong.

The two turned back to Xehanort.

"I'll deal with you two next!" Xehanort angrily exclaimed pointing towards the two young heroes. "I have business that needs attending to-Grahh!" Suddenly Xehanort started to writhe in pain, falling to one knee. A strange gold light began to surround his body. His face twisted into a combination of rage and shock. He turned to Aqua, still on the ground but awake and looking at him smiling.

"What...What have you done!?" Xehanort demanded.

Aqua just continued to smile and said quietly "Checkmate".

As if on cue, a large burst of light emerged from Xehanort's body sending him flying in the other direction. Xehanort rolled across the ground and into the rubble.

Where Xehanort once was before the light appeared, was two bodies sprawled out across the ground, unconscious.

It was the bodies of Master Eraqus and his pupil Terra.

"Terra...Master...welcome back" Aqua said smiling, tears flowing down her face.

Xehanort rose slowly from the rubble, taking in his surroundings. Sora stood ready to strike with his Kingdom Key.

"Its over Xehanort! You cant keep this up! There's still time to stop this, nobody else needs to get hurt!" Sora pleaded with the seeker, hoping to get through to him.

Xehanort's face twisted in anger but then it changed into one of amusement. "You think I care about who gets hurt! You think I got to where I am today by working towards peace? I have waited so long for this moment, and I will not let your naive idealism stop me! I cant wait any longer". Xehanort turned his head towards Ruby and said "Im done waiting".

He pointed his keyblade toward Ruby and said quietly "Mega Flare" A powerful burst of Light erupted from his keyblade and shot towards Ruby.

"NOOO!" Sora yelled. He ran at blinding speeds seemingly vanishing and reappearing next to Ruby, pushing her out of the blasts path. Sora had his arms extended out to his sides ready to take the blast. He was willing to lay down his life in order to save Ruby. He was prepared to die, but he didn't want Ruby to see how scared he was. Before the blast hit, Sora turned around and gave his signature smile to Ruby. He just wished he had more time to be with her, he had so many things he wanted to tell her.

Ruby looked on in shock as the blast hit Sora, destroying everything in the nearby area. All that remained was a crater in the ground, smoke flowing out of it.

She couldn't believe it.

.

.

Sora.

.

.

Sora was dead.

"Noooo!" Ruby screamed, tears flooding her eyes and traveling down her face. _Sora cant be dead, he just cant be!_ Ruby thought. Sora meant everything to her. In the time that they had known each other Sora quickly became one of her best friends. In fact, he was her best friend. She had the most fun whenever he was around, always smiling and laughing. She didn't understand how she felt until now.

But now he was gone.

.

.

Or at least, thats what she thought.

When the smoke cleared, a strange golden light could be seen. A golden barrier had been covering where the blast hit. The barrier dissipated, and rising from the ashes was a boy with spiky brown hair.

"Sora! You're ok!" Ruby said happily, tears still flowing down her face.

Sora looked around, not sure of how he was still alive. "Yea" Sora said surprised "but how..Whoa!".

Sora looked down at his hand where his Kingdom Key was. Or rather where he thought it would be. In place of Sora's Kingdom Key, was a completely different weapon altogether. It was comprised of two Kingdom Keys crossing each other, a large blade extending from the center.

In Sora's hand was the _X_ \- Blade.

He looked back to Ruby and extended his hand out to her. "Are you with me?" he asked

Ruby smiled and replied "Always". She took his hand and stood up. Both facing Xehanort, with a new sense of confidence and strength.

Realization now dawning on Xehanort of what transpired, he began to lash out angrily.

"No, thats not possible! It was mine, MINE! You shouldn't be able to wield it!"

This made Sora remember something Leon said shortly after meeting him.

 _"Still hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one."_

Sora looked at the _X_ \- Blade in his hand. Quietly, he said to himself "The Keyblade's Chosen one"

"What did you say!?" Xehanort demanded, full of rage.

"I was once told that I was the Keyblade's Chosen one. I never really thought about it until now, but what if it didn't just mean any Keyblade, but the _X_ \- Blade itself?"

"Preposterous! The X - Blade is a weapon made of pure divine power! It is the very foundation of Kingdom Hearts! A tool to be used by only the strongest of hearts! It Yields to no single master!"

The X - Blade glowed as if in response to Xehanort's claim. Sora looked down at it and back to Xehanort. "It looks like the X - Blade doesn't necessarily agree with you" Sora said with a confident smile on his face.

Sora and Ruby looked at each other, nodding as if understanding each other completely, then looked back to Xehanort.

"Lets finish this!" The two said in unison.

Sora then charged towards Xehanort, the X - Blade glowing, building up power for one final attack.

Xehanort, now defenseless and nowhere to go, only stood there showing a new side of him never seen before.

Fear.

 _"Its now or never"_ Sora Thought, ready to activate one of his strongest attacks. "Zantetsuken!" Sora vanished and reappeared behind Xehanort, a large slash of light appearing on Xehanort's body, causing incredible amounts of damage. Xehanort was now on his knees, reeling from the powerful attack.

Ruby decided to follow Sora's attack with her own. She used her semblance to dash back and forth towards Xehanort, slicing him horizontally across his waistline. Now behind him she decided to follow up with another attack. She spun her scythe towards Xehanort vertically, slicing down his back. Upon stopping Crescent Rose's motion, planting the scythe into the ground, Ruby fired a round from her rifle into Xehanort's back.

The force of the shot sent Xehanort rolling several feet forward.

Xehanort rose extremely slow, clutching the area around his heart. Darkness was leaking out of the wounds Sora and ruby inflicted on him.

Xehanort looked up to see the glowing moon of Kingdom Hearts, as of to question it, wondering where did he go wrong.

To Xehanort's dismay, the clouds surrounding Kingdom Hearts began to converge, ready to conceal it away within the darkness once again.

Before disappearing completely, something caught Xehanort's attention.

In the distance, floating away from Kingdom Hearts, was a small group of lights.

Xehanort stood in shock, realizing the true meaning behind these lights.

Just as fast as he had seen them, they disappeared, Kingdom Hearts lost within the darkness once more.

"Five? Xehanort questioned.

Xehanort began chuckling.

Sora and Ruby looked at Xehanort with curiosity. Sora looked up to see what he was talking about, only to see that Kingdom Hearts was now gone. It was over, they won. The X - Blade in Sora's possession glowed briefly before disappearing, leaving behind Sora's Kingdom Key.

He looked back to Xehanort as he stopped his fit of laughter.

"AHHH!" Xehanort cringed in pain as his body slowly began to fade away into darkness. "It seems, that all this time, I've been following a lie. They told me I would be able to change the world. They said it was my destiny and I was foolish to believe them. I've been following an empty promise all this time. They knew exactly how this was going to end" Xehanort said with regret.

Xehanort closed his eyes and smiled. "It appears, in the end, I was nothing more than a pawn" Xehanort said before fading away completely.

Xehanort had finally been defeated.

* * *

Shortly following Xehanort's defeat, the various students, teachers, and keyblade wielders that fought so hard against Xehanort began to tend to their wounded and clearing the destruction left behind.

Sora and Ruby stood together, looking upon all of their friends and allies.

Ruby turned her head to Sora "Its amazing everyone's ok, considering everything we were put through".

She then grew concerned, seeing the serious face Sora had.

"Sora, what's wrong?"Ruby asked

"Oh, its nothing, its just -"

"What Xehanort said, before fading away?" Ruby could tell it was still on his mind.

"Yea, thats it" Sora replied in a low voice. "Who was he talking about? Who told him to forge the X - Blade and open Kingdom Hearts? Who would set him up only for him to fail in the end? It just doesn't make any sense"

Ruby remained silent, feeling sorry for her friend.

Sora turned his head to Ruby and smiled "But that doesn't matter right now. I'm just happy your ok" Sora said.

Ruby blushed from the Sora's sudden comment.

Then she did something unexpected.

Ruby pulled Sora's arm and held it close to her side, resting her head on his shoulder. Tears began forming in her eyes.

"You're glad I'm ok? Sora, I thought you were dead!" Ruby raised her voice, clutching to Sora's arm tightly, afraid of losing him. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you!"

Sora was a bit rattled from Ruby's kind words, but appreciated how much she really cared about him. A bunch of thoughts passed through Sora's head. " _Does she have feelings for me? Does she feel the same way about me that I feel about her"_ Sora Thought to himself.

Sora had known for a while how strongly he felt about Ruby. The two of them would always get along, always laughing, smiling, and generally enjoying each other's company. Before coming to Remnant, Sora always thought that he had feelings for Kairi, but after meeting Ruby he realized how wrong he was. whenever Ruby wasn't around Sora would feel lost. He was in love with the sweet, innocent, and beautiful Ruby rose.

 _"Well, now's a good time as any, maybe I should just tell her how I feel"_ Sora Thought to himself. Confidence began to grow inside of Sora, only to be replaced by doubt and fear.

 _"What if she doesn't feel the same way?" "How is it that after fighting against hordes of Heartless, Nobodies, Grimm, and two Organizations, that the thing that scares me the most is being rejected by a girl?"_ Sora began to panic inside his head.

With all his confidence reduced all Sora could muster out was "Ruby..." Sora's voiced cracked. "I don't know what to do anymore"

Ruby raised her eyebrow at him "What do you mean"

Sora pulled away gently from Ruby's grasp.

"All this time, ever since I got the Keyblade, all I ever wanted to do was protect my friends" Sora said looking down.

"But ever since I arrived here on Remnant, that changed"

Sora chuckled "It may be selfish but...I think maybe, I kept on fighting more for you than anybody else."

"More...for me?" Ruby questioned, fear and excitement filling her body, impatiently waiting for his next words.

Sora began to blush furiously, "I mean...I've always admired your confidence, your conviction to be a huntress, and how much happier you make me feel when your by my side"

Sora gulped hard. "I didn't understand it at first, but in the end, I.."

Ruby was struggling to control her heightening emotions at this point as she waited for Sora to finish.

"I fell in love with you" Sora finished.

.

.

It felt as though time had stopped for Ruby. All she could do was stand there, frozen, processing the words Sora said.

She just stood there, staring at at a red faced Sora, who now scratching the back of his head.

"I know it must be weird to hear me say that, and I understand if dont feel the sa-"

Sora was interrupted by the feeling of something warm on his lips.

Ruby's lips.

Was this real? No it couldn't be. Ruby was kissing Sora! Maybe this was all a dream. Any moment now, Sora would wake up from this ever sweet dream. Even Sora wasn't so oblivious to realize that this was actually happening.

Soon all thoughts left Sora's mind and he kissed her back, pressing his lips softly onto hers as he cupped her face. Ruby began to lean further into him, placing her hand on his chest to steady herself. They soon broke the kiss off, Sora was at a loss for words.

Ruby, with a loving smile said "I love you too, dolt"

Sora, still caught up in the moment of that kiss, recognized that last word clearly.

"Dolt? Hey thats Weiss's line! Sora said, giving a light laugh.

Ruby giggled at Sora's reaction. "Yea I understand why she uses it now"

The moment was then interrupted and ruined from an eruption of cheering and applause.

Sora and Ruby turned to see the source of the commotion, only to find themselves extremely embarrassed as their friends had been looking on and cheering. Master Eraqus and Yen Sid gave a nod of approval. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were jumping around in excitement. The Radiant Garden Crew gave supportive smiles, except for Yuffie who was giving Sora a thumbs up with a huge grin on her face.

All of the Keyblade Wielders and Huntsman were cheering, especially Roxas, Xion, Namine, Riku's Replica, and Ven as they all knew how strongly Sora felt about Ruby from residing in his heart. Blake and Weiss were laughing happily. Lea stood with a wide smile on his face and shouted "Keep this moment memorized!"

Kairi looked on with a sad smile. She was happy for Sora, but at the same time she felt as though she lost her chance. She wasn't fast enough to jump on the opportunity. But she wasn't going to ruin this moment for Sora, he was still one of her best friends, no matter what.

Riku walked over and patted Sora on the back "Nice job buddy, you beat the bad guy and got the girl, a fairy tale ending" He said teasingly.

Sora and Ruby laughed at this "Thanks Riku" Sora replied

"Ohhh little Sis!"

"Huh? Yanggggg!" Ruby's voice was muffled as Yang trapped her in another death inducing bear hug.

"Im so happy for you! I thought you would never make a move, oh your growing up so fast!

"Well it wont be much of a fairy tale ending if the girl is killed off right away" Riku said jokingly. "Come on Yang, thats enough, you can hug her later" Riku said as he dragged Yang away. Yang tried to resist but ultimately gave up seeing it would be futile.

Sora and Ruby laughed as they followed Riku and the defeated Yang. Sora locked his hands with Ruby. Ruby, in turn squeezed his hand gently, never letting the smile drop from her face.

Sora and Ruby knew that there was sure to be harder times ahead of them, but they felt brave knowing they would face it together.

* * *

Present Day

October 19th

The scorching desert surrounding the kingdom of Vacuo

A large scale battle was taking place outside the imposing black walls guarding the harsh city of Vacuo.

The kingdom of Vacuo itself is distinctly set up in three different sections. The first being the Outer wall, which proudly stands over 100 meters tall. It is Vacuo's first and greatest line of defense. The second section is the agrarian section, where various farms and lakes populate the land. It is considered the largest green area within 100 miles. The Third section is The inner Wall which is the last line of defense for Vacuo. Contained within its borders is the city itself. The various buildings and skyscrapers that dot Vacuo's skyline date back hundreds of years.

Vacuo is well known for residing in the harsh environment of the Western Continent's expansive desert. Because of the open area that it resides it is often open to Grimm attacks.

Constant skirmishes along Vacuo's borders have both hardened its city and its people.

The battle taking place currently is being handled by three keyblade wielders and Beacon Academy's youngest huntress in training, Ruby Rose. The city was surrounded by a few hundred Grimm and requested backup from Beacon Academy

Ruby was currently engaged with a pack of Beowolves. Ruby stood ready with her Crescent Rose as the first Beowulf charged at her. Ruby spun around trapping the Beowulf in her scythe. She then fired a round off from her rifle, the force of the shot allowing her to cut the Beowolf's head clean off.

As several more Beowolves began to charge at her, Ruby spun her scythe, reloading her rifle mid spin. She then planted the scythe into the ground firing off several rounds, taking out five more Beowolves with deadly precision.

An Ursa lunged toward Ruby from behind her. Luckily she noticed, dodged its claw, jumped up and fired her rifle midair. The kick of the shot sent Ruby flying back.

She stopped her momentum by planting Crescent Rose into the ground and flipping onto its handle, regaining her balance. she saw a creep lunging at her, spun around on her scythe planting her feet against the back of the scythe.

Ruby placed her hand on the trigger and fired once more, sending her and Crescent Rose flying backwards once more. After landing on her feet, she began to spin her scythe, slicing up several creeps into pieces. Ruby then heard the familiar screech of what was most definitely a Nevermore approaching.

"Sora, Up top!" She yelled out to her boyfriend.

As if on cue, a streak of red lightning could be seen tearing its way through hordes of enemies, cutting straight though them. Out emerged Sora, in his Valor Form, possessing his Kingdom Key and the Kingdom Key D.

"Coming right up, my lady" Sora said in his attempt at a deep heroic voice.

Ruby giggled, readying her scythe, angling it behind her toward the ground.

Without stopping Sora continued to run, jumping on the handle as Ruby fired a round, using the force to propel Sora into the air.

Sora flew through the air, leaving streaks of red lightning behind him. Sora used his momentum to spin around with his Keyblades extended, ready to slice through the Nevermore.

"Its over!" Sora yelled as he cut straight through the Nevermore's torso, killing it instantly.

Sora landed next to Ruby. The two then stood back to back as a few dozen Beowolves surrounded them.

"How was that? Sora asked smiling.

"Hmm, not bad but I've seen better, I give it a seven".

"A seven! Come on that was at least an eight" Sora pleaded

"Nope, seven is my final score, I've seen you pull much better moves than that" Ruby playfully teased

"Aww man, I was sure I would get a higher score this time" Sora said, hanging his arms down in defeat. "Well there's always next time."

Both Sora and Ruby readied their weapons as the beowolves began to converge on them.

But before they could get any closer, multiple bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking down all the Beowolves surrounding them.

"God, stop it with the banter, cant you two wait until later?! asked a voice.

Sora and Ruby turned around to see a boy emerge from behind some of the decaying Beowolf bodies.

The boy in question had Silver hair and aquamarine eyes. His left hand was extended outward, slightly clenched as if holding something, electric currents surrounding it. His right arm was by his side. In his right hand he held his keyblade, Lost Memory.

"It never gets old seeing you do that Rep." Sora replied thankfully while reverting back to normal.

Rep, formally known as Riku's Replica walked toward Sora and began to reprimand him for his behavior.

"Sora, I trust you as a friend and as a Keyblade Master, but you seriously have to stop acting so foolish in battle. It puts you at a tactical disadvantage as it is both a distraction and can leave you unfocused." Rep said. "It can also be annoying sometimes".

"Oh dont be such a downer, Rep. It helps keep spirits up and morale high".

Rep simply rolled his eyes at Sora.

Ever since getting a second chance at life, Rep has done everything he can to make the most of it. Despite being a replica of Riku, Rep has shown time an time again how different he really is.

Much like Riku, Rep is usually cool and calm most of the time, but not without the occasional spout of humor. Though this humor is often directed towards Sora, whom he still has a very competitive streak with.

Despite being physically identical to Riku, albeit a year younger, Rep presents himself in a very different manner of appearance and personality.

Rep has short Silver hair, unlike Riku who has long hair. Rep wears a long sleeve red t - shirt, a black leather jacket, black jeans, and black sneakers. Clearly Rep and Riku's taste in fashion is quite different.

While Riku has grown to accept the darkness in his heart, learning to channel it while not turning away from the light, Rep has disregarded the darkness completely.

Rep accepts the darkness in his heart, but fears falling into it again. In Rep's eyes, the Organization created him only to be thrown back into the darkness, deciding that his life had little to no meaning, and therefore should not be allowed to continue. But the light gave him a second chance at life.

A real life.

A life that he could call his own.

And he wasn't going to let the darkness take it away again.

Perhaps Rep's most charming quality is his attitude towards being a keyblade wielder. Rep has become a more "by the books" kind of guy.

He tends to focus entirely on the mission at hand, not one to be sidetracked by small things, for example Sora's constant banter in the heat of battle.

Rep also feels that it is the job of Keyblade wielders to show incredible amounts of force, not to incite fear in the hearts of people, but to make them feel safe, knowing they are protected.

As Rep continued to criticize Sora, Ruby just sighed, then giggled at the scene. She has seen this play out plenty of times now.

 _"I mean, Rep is a good guy, but Sora's right, he can be such a downer sometimes. Though it is pretty fun to watch these two fight, they're just like brothers"_ Ruby thought to herself, smiling.

Then Ruby saw something out of the corner of her eye.

She turned to see what was approaching, or rather, who was approaching.

This person in question was revealed to be none other than Namine, who was strolling up to the group happily with her Oathkeeper by her side.

"Oh, Namine! There you are!" Ruby exclaimed, happy to see the aforementioned girl was safe.

Namine had blue eyes and blonde hair draped over her right shoulder. Like Xion, Namine bears a striking resemblance to Sora's childhood friend Kairi. Though, initially born as Kairi's Nobody, that shouldn't be much of a surprise. She wore a plain white lace dress with light blue sandals.

After hearing the girl's name, Sora and Rep turned to the girl

"Namine! Where have you been?" Rep demanded.

"Oh you know, just strolling by" She responded with an innocent smile

Sora raised his eyebrows "Have you fought anything today, Namine?"

"Nope!" She said, still smiling. "Don't be silly Sora, you know I dont fight unless I absolutely have to. Plus, you guys were doing fine."

Sora rolled his eyes "You could have at least helped out a -" Sora was interrupted by the ground suddenly beginning to shake.

Bursting out from under the ground, emerged both halves of a King Taijitu. Both serpent-like creatures hissed at the four heroes and lunged to attack Namine from behind, hoping to take her out first.

Namine, aware of their presence, continued to simply stand there, facing Sora and Rep. Without as much as moving a muscle, a large barrier of light appeared behind her. The heads of the King Taijitu failed to notice it fast enough and crashed into the powerful wall, crushing their skulls, killing them instantly.

"little bit..." Sora finished with a shocked expression on his face. "Damn Namine, just how strong have your barriers gotten? You didn't even have to move!"

Namine laughed and said "I've been practicing here and there." She looked around and saw that area was now clear of any Grimm

"Looks like were done here. Its surprising that we haven't seen any Heartless today" Namine said, a bit of disappointment in her voice.

Suddenly a large dark portal opened up along the ground, emerging from its depths was a single Darkside Heartless

"You just had to say something" Rep said face palming.

"Sorry, my bad"

The Darkside stood menacingly, slowly preparing to bring its fist down.

Sora got excited and happily shouted "This is it guys! Lets finish em' with team attacks! Rep, Namine, Lightning wave!" Sora said pointing his keyblade to the Darkside

"Wait..what?" Namine interjected.

Sora turned around, a bit confused "Lightning wave."

Ruby, Rep, and Namine simply looked at Sora and shrugged

"Thats your team attack name' Sora continued, clearly hurt.

"Since...when?" Rep questioned

"Guys, we went over this! Lightning Wave is Rep and Namine. Rep brings the lightning, Namine brings the wave"

Namine raised an eyebrow "How do I bring a wave?" she asked

"Maybe, he doesn't mean an actual wave, maybe he's referring to your name. You know...since it means Ocean Wave"

"But how do I bring that into a fight!? She argued back, clearly confused.

"Oh come on!" Sora pleaded

Ruby then decided to jump in.

"So...what are we?" Ruby asked innocently

"Ruby!" Sora responded, shocked that his own girlfriend wasn't even listening to his team attacks.

"Sorry! I just wanna make sure it's clearly defined."

"Ruby, you and I are SoRu. Its the thing we do, remember?"

"SoRu?"

"Yeah. It's our names put together?'

"Right..." Ruby laughed nervously "no I get it"

"What, do you not like it?"

Not really sure how to respond, Ruby managed to get out "No, no, it's...good?

"Mmm, I sensed hesitation! Namine teased.

"Alright, that's enough! How about we deal with the Darkside, then we can discuss Sora's lame team attack names" Rep interjected.

Sora was about to respond but instead just sighed in defeat. "Rep, just...hit it with lightning.

"My pleasure" Rep said with a confident smile.

Rep stepped forward, pointed his keyblade upward, electricity gathering around it, and shouted,

"Raging Bolt!"

Suddenly a massive lightning bolt descended from the sky, tearing straight through the Darkside's head, killing it instantly.

Rep turned to face Ruby, a cocky smile on his face.

"How was that?" He asked

"Hmmm... a nine. Ruby said playfully.

"What the heck Ruby!" Sora asked. "How come he gets a nine and I only get a seven!?"

"Well I dont see you summoning giant lightning bolts to kill monsters! Ruby said, laughing at her boyfriend's reaction

"Thats because Rep loves lightning magic so much. Plus he went to that world and trained with that Laxus guy!"

Ruby leaned over and gave Sora a quick peck on the lips

"Don't worry you're still number one in my book"

* * *

Overlooking the entire exchange, on top of the outer wall surrounding Vacuo.

A young man with white hair and red eyes sat eating a few bites of his sandwich. Still with food in his mouth, he began to speak.

"Wow that kid was actually pretty impressive. That massive lightning bolt was pretty cool, right Sui?

A young woman with long black hair and blue eyes stepped forward, "I can care less about that one." She said coldly.

"Do please learn to chew with your mouth closed, Evan."

"Yea, whatever. Anyway, are you sure that kid's the one were after, i expected a bit more.

"Yes" replied Sui, looking in the direction of a certain spiky haired boy.

"That would be Master Sora, the boy who defeated Xehanort. Our "Key", the answer to our problems" a malicious smile formed on Sui's face.

"Hmm, do you think he'll join us?"

"Perhaps, but even if he doesn't, we just move forward with other plan. We've already taken a step in that direction anyway."

"More like half a step" Evan shot back.

"No need to be rude" Sui snarled. "All that matters now is weather Sora lets us do things the easy way, quick and painless..."

"Or..." Evan smiled

"..Or we cause as much misery and pain as we can until he does"

"I think I like that plan better" Evan replied

Suddenly a third voice called out to them.

"Hey, what are you doing up here!? Civilians are not permitted atop the outer wall!"

Sui and Evan turned, rather unfazed by the sudden intrusion.

"Please come with me, I'll escort you to central command to be detained"

Evan spoke up first "Oooooh, Im really sorry about all this sir."

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it kid, come with me and we'll get this sorted ou-"

"Oh I wasn't apologizing for being up here, its a great view. I was apologizing for this" Evan said pointing to Sui.

Sui just looked at the patrol guard, lifted her right hand, and snapped her fingers

A blue flame enveloped the body of the guard. He began flailing around, screaming and writing in pain.

"You know, Sui, I could do without all the screaming" Evan requested "Would you mind?"

Sui waved her hand slowly. the blue flames dissipated, in its place a shell of ice.

Sui walked up to the shell, looking down at the guard frozen inside.

"Shatter" Sui quietly said.

The Ice then shattered, the guard along with it.

"What a mess" Sui said, kicking what was once the guards arm, still frozen in ice, down the wall.

"Come on Evan, we should return to Beacon and inform the others" A corridor of darkness then opened up beside them.

"Besides, we have a tournament to train for" Sui said sarcastically before stepping into the corridor, followed by Evan.

* * *

 **Phew! This took forever to make.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading the first chapter of my first ever fanfiction! I apologize for making this so long, but there was a lot of stuff I wanted to get out in the Prologue.**

 *** The dialogue between two of the stories biggest characters. Im sure you can figure out who they are.**

 *** Sora and Ruby's first interaction/team RWBY interaction**

 *** Xehanort's defeat/Sora and Ruby becoming a couple**

 *** Present day action with a few characters/ first introduction to the villains of the story. All I can say about them is that they're OC but also they're not...teehee**

 **I would like to just give a quick shout out to ImSoAwesome for serving as part of my inspiration for this story.**

 **Thank you to Square Enix and Rooster Teeth for creating such incredible worlds.**

 **Please feel free to PM any questions or comments, or just leave them in the reviews.**

 **Quick note: This fanfiction will not involve much romance outside of Sora and Ruby's relationship. But if you guys have any suggestions for ships I am willing to listen. I was kind of thinking Ven and Weiss, but let me know what you guys think. Also this fanfiction will revolve around RWBY Vol 3. So if youve seen it, then youll have an idea of where ill be going with this.**

 **Next chapter:**

 **A Date with Destiny**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	2. A Date with Destiny

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant: Dawn's beginning**

Chapter 2 – A Date with Destiny

* * *

October 22nd

Sora walked through the halls of Beacon Academy. He smiled and waved to the many students passing by. He had just returned from a special mission, and he was starving.

 _"Hard to believe how much has changed since Xehanort"_ Sora thought to himself

This statement couldn't be any truer for Sora and his friends.

For starters, Sora both Sora and Terra were made official Keyblade Masters. Sora had learned to access his drive forms at will, without the power of a friend.

Unfortunately, Sora could no longer duel wield in his drive forms. With the connections to the people who resided in his heart now severed, he lost that ability.

To compensate for this, King mickey decided to take an early retirement from adventuring with the keyblade. Content with returning to Disney Castle to be with his friends and family, Mickey gave his Kingdom Key D for Sora to use.

As for returning to Disney Castle, that was the hard part, as the Gummi ship was completely destroyed.

Luckily, a new form of transportation was born.

Through Kingdom Hearts' brief appearance, a somewhat hidden ability had been unlocked within the keyblade wielders.

Much like how Xehanort and his followers could open corridors of darkness between worlds, the keyblade wielders could now produce something similar using light.

Corridors of Light.

This made transportation between better than ever!

But it only made it easier for everyone to go their separate ways.

Donald and Goofy said their goodbyes and returned with Mickey to Disney Castle

The Radiant Garden crew returned to their home, they still had ways to go with its restoration.

Riku and Kairi returned to Destiny Islands, wanting to take a break from adventuring with the keyblade.

Ven, Terra, and Aqua returned with Master Eraqus to Castle Oblivion, so that they may restore it to its former glory as the Land of Departure.

Roxas, Lea, and Xion stayed on Remnant, but decided to travel the world to see all the sights and sounds this new life had to offer.

Only Rep and Namine decided to stay with Sora at Beacon. Rep left for a few weeks to train with a certain lightning magic user from a certain world. He's become extremely deadly with his lightning magic. Namine, though new to the Keyblade, quickly adapted to its usage.

"I guess being able to see and manipulate my memories and those connected to me does have its benefits" Sora thought to himself.

Namine quickly became one of the most powerful keyblade wielders currently active, but she doesn't really like to show it. She doesn't really like to fight unless she absolutely needs to.

Sora shook in fear, remembering the time he saw Namine fight seriously.

Sora continued walking, until he came to the entrance of the cafeteria.

As for Sora, he decided to stay here, on Remnant. He requested Master Yen Sid and Master Eraqus that he stay on Remnant for the time being, in order to deal with both the Heartless and the Grimm.

They permitted him to stay, not thinking he had any ulterior motive.

That was the official reason Sora was here.

But the real reason was because of the friends he made at Beacon.

Weiss, who has always been cold to him, was actually starting to be nice to Sora. It took a while, but it's finally starting to pay off.

Blake, who became a close a trusted friend. Sora would be lying if he wasn't surprised to find out Blake was a Faunus. But ultimately it didn't weaken their friendship in the slightest, it only made it stronger.

Yang, the fun loving blonde brute, who continued to tease Sora, especially because of his relationship to her sister.

Jaune, the dorky leader of team JNPR. Sora and Jaune quickly became friends and bonded, despite their occasional social awkwardness. Jaune has a great deal of respect for Sora, who helped him build more confidence and grow stronger as a Huntsman.

Ren and Nora, whom Sora shared many fun times with. Ren could be extremely wise along with his stoic and calm nature. A complete contrast to Nora, who is filled with energy, always excited, no matter what came her way.

Pyrrha, who Sora admired greatly due to her prowess in combat, along with her kind nature.

Sora befriended many people during his time on Remnant, this would also include Sun and Neptune of team SSSN, visiting from Haven to participate in the tournament. Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi of team CFVY.

Sora even enjoyed the company of the professors, conversing about their many adventures.

But perhaps the biggest reason Sora wanted to stay on Remnant was –

"Food!" Sora happily jumped into the cafeteria, grabbed a tray, and began gathering truckloads of food.

"I've missed you so murrr" Sora's voice muffled as he began to scarf down his food.

Anyway, continuing on…Perhaps the biggest reason Sora wanted to stay on Remnant was because of a certain red hooded girl.

Sora stopped eating for a moment, remembering he had some important news he wanted to tell her.

* * *

Ruby had just finished classes for the day and was heading to the cafeteria for some grub.

Along the way she stopped to see a news report from screen along the wall.

"Police are saying that crime has virtually disappeared ever since the breach of Vale and the arrest of notorious criminal Roman Torchwick. For more on this story, please tune in to VNN's evening news. This is Lisa Lavender, until next time" the reporter said before the screen blinked out.

Ruby continued walking with a bit more pep in her step, as she and the rest of Team RWBY might have had something to do with that.

For Ruby, ever since Xehanort's defeat, the last few months have been pretty busy.

Between classes, missions, and shutting down a terrorist plot to release Grimm into the city, Ruby's life has been pretty hectic.

"Uncle Qrow would be so proud! Yang and I are practically real huntresses now, stopping the bad guys left and right" Ruby thought to herself.

Ruby stopped at the cafeteria's entrance, noticing Sora scarfing down platefuls of food. She then had a mischievous smile on her face.

Ruby used her semblance to dash up right behind Sora and said "BOO!"

Sora jumped up from the sudden shock, accidentally chocking on some of his food.

Sora gulped hard, managing to swallow the large chunk of food.

"Aghh- Ruby! Don't do that! One of these days you will actually make me fall over and die!" Sora joked

Ruby smiled and winked "Just keeping you on your toes"

The two began to laugh until someone had approached them.

"Hello Ruby." The voice said sweetly

Sora and Ruby looked up to see a young woman with long black hair and blue eyes

"Oh hey Sui, what's up" Ruby asked happily

"Nothing much, just got done training, Evan and I wanted to get something to eat real quick before we head back for some more. We wanna be in our best condition for the tournament next week" she said with a small smile

The boy in question then followed up from behind Sui, rolling his eyes, he said "Yea im sure it'll be quite the show this year"

"Well were not gonna make it easy for you, so let's give it our best, ok" Ruby said with determination.

Both Sui and Evan turned towards Sora. Sui spoke up first.

"I believe we haven't met", pointing to herself and then to the boy next to her "I'm Suimar Cor, but most people just call me Sui, this is my teammate".

The boy looked at Sora then darted his red eyes to the ground and said "I'm Evan T-, I mean Evan Suruat. Sorry my mother recently remarried, I'm still getting used to the new last name."

For some reason, these two people didn't feel right to Sora, something about them felt off, but he couldn't place what it was.

But Sora didn't want to seem rude and introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sora. How come I haven't seen you around here before?

Ruby quickly interjected "They only arrived a couple of weeks ago, they're from Haven"

Sui gave a small gasp and said "Oh your Sora! We've heard so much about you"

Sora felt a little flattered, smiled, and rubbed the back of his head. "Hopefully all good things"

"Of course" Sui said seductively, eyeing Sora up and down.

Ruby didn't like the way she was looking at Sora and decided to get the two of them out of there as fast as she could.

She grabbed Sora's hand and quickly said "Oh sorry, Sora and I have somewhere we have to be, it was nice seeing you, BYEEE!"

"Wait Ruby, I'm not done eati-ahh!" Sora said as the powerful force of Ruby's Semblance pulled him out of the cafeteria and into the halls, leaving Sui and Evan alone.

The small smiles on their faces were soon replaced with deep frowns. Sui turned to Evan, a spark of anger in her eyes.

"Evan, you almost gave up your identity, you need to exercise more caution. If any of these people learned of your true identity, you would be arrested on sight"

"Sorry ma'am, it won't happen again"

* * *

Once a reasonable distance away, Ruby stopped, allowing Sora to regain his balance.

Sora's whole world was spinning from the sudden whiplash of Ruby's speed.

Ruby let go of Sora's hand "There that's better".

"Ruby, what was that all about?" Sora questioned

Ruby avoided his gaze and looked at the ground with a red face "Oh…It's nothing, its just..

Sora raised his eyebrows, waiting for Ruby to finish

"I didn't like the way she was looking at you, like you were some kind of possession"

"Oh" Sora said, surprised at Ruby's words. Then he put on a playful smile on his face. "So you were jealous"

"I'm not jealous, it's just I don't like it when other girls faun over you, especially when I'm literally right there" Ruby would have continued, but Sora stopped her.

Sora grabbed ruby's hand, interlocking his fingers with hers. "Ruby, you know me better than that, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you" Sora reassured her.

Ruby felt better, trusting his words.

Sora let go of her hand "Besides, today is special"

"Why, what's today?"

Sora smiled and pulled out a small box "It's our three month anniversary, so I wanted to get you something"

"Aww, that's sweet but you really didn't need to get me anything. I'm not really a fancy pansy girl with lots of jewelry"

"Oh I know that. That's why I got you this instead" Sora said, handing the box to Ruby.

Ruby opened the box, her mouth opening wide from shock and excitement.

Inside the box was a dozen freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

"I went into town today and got you cookies from that bakery you like! I know you wouldn't really want jewelry so I wanted to get you the next best thing"

Ruby smiled and gratefully said "Sora, you're the best, thank you."

"Oh but that's not all, I also wanted to take you somewhere special. But I want it to be a surprise until we get there"

"Um…ok, lead the way."

Sora got behind Ruby and placed his hand over her eyes. She heard a strange FWOOSH sound in the distance

 _"He opened a Corridor of Light? I wonder where he plans on taking me."_ Ruby thought, rising in excitement.

"Just step forward and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times"

Ruby walked forward, giggling and almost tripping over herself

Ruby could feel the light surrounding her. In the distance she could hear what seemed like waves, seagulls cawing overhead.

"Alright, here we are!" Sora lifted his hands from Ruby's eyes.

The sight before her was breathtaking.

There she stood on a small uplifted land mass that stood above the shoreline. Ruby looked around, taking in the view. All around the island were various wooden structures.

Ruby stared out onto the endless horizon. The orange light of the sunset reflecting across the ocean.

Ruby turned to Sora, who was now sitting on top of a tree that was curved horizontally. On top of the tree were star shaped fruit.

Sora patted the area next to him, inviting her up. Ruby jumped on top of the branch, sitting next to Sora

"Wow, this place is beautiful! I guess having a boyfriend who can travel anywhere in the universe does have its perks"

Sora simply smiled and laughed, staring towards the horizon.

"Where are we anyway?"

"Welcome to Destiny Islands, this is where I come from. This is my world." Sora said.

"Wow" Ruby then had a sly smile on her face. "No wonder you're so lazy, coming from a place like this"

"Hey I'm not that lazy!"

The two then laughed together.

"But why did you take me here?"

"Well, I don't know, I thought it would be nice to just kick back and relax along the beach for a little bit. Sora said smiling

Ruby blushed and laid her head on Sora's shoulder "You know you already had me at the cookies, right?"

"Yea I figured that much" Sora chuckled lightly

"But I also have some big news."

Ruby lifted her head and raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"Well I've been talking to the rest of the keyblade wielders and yesterday they agreed to return to Remnant!

"Really! Are they coming to stay for the Tournament?"

"Even Better. We actually decided to stay permanently. We want to make it official and form a team between the eleven of us, and have Remnant as our home."

"Really! How did you manage to convince them all to that?" Ruby asked

"Riku and Kairi weren't too hard, they've gotten bored waiting around here, and figured Remnant would provide them with more to offer because…"

Sora Remembered Riku's words. The words that started his journey " _If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater."_

Sora smiled and continued "Because this world is just too small"

"Roxas, Lea, and Xion are already on Remnant, they've just been travelling anywhere they want. They were happy to….I guess… Make it official"

"Rep and Namine have already been living with us at Beacon."

"What about Ven, Terra, and Aqua?" Ruby questioned

"Ven, Terra, and Aqua were hesitant to come. They wanted to actually stay in The Land of Departure with Master Eraqus. But Master Eraqus said something to convince them otherwise"

"What do you think he said?"

"He told them something about Remnant's importance in the grand scheme of the Light and Darkness, I didn't really understand it. What I did catch was when he told them that it be a great opportunity for them to build a new life, learning more about the world, and ultimately, more about themselves"

"Wow he sounds pretty wise" Ruby said in awe

"Yea, I guess so. Anyway, besides us having a nice evening along the beach, we've also come to pick up Kairi and Riku.

Ruby smiled and looked back to the sunset. The light twinkling in her silver eyes.

"Ok sounds like a plan, but if you don't mind, I would like to stay here for a little bit longer" Ruby said.

"Of course"

* * *

 **So yea, this was a nice chapter between Sora and Ruby. Besides that Sora has Mickey's Kingdom Key D, he can open corridors of light, and he met Sui and Evan. What is Evan's secret? What could he be hiding?**

 **Anyway, after reading the reviews so far, I understand that Sora and Ruby feels rushed. But I've read so many stories already about them building their relationship while fighting against a great force of darkness. I didn't want to write another one. I wanted to write a story of Sora and Ruby's relationship having already been established, fighting against a great force of darkness.**

 **Plus, in context to the story, they've known each other for six months, and have dated for the last three months. So its not like they just got up one day and decided to get together with no previous interaction.**

 **Just wanted to clear that up.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will start to get into the swing of things as the many Keyblade Wielders return and gather on Remnant.**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	3. Guardians

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant: Dawn's beginning**

Chapter 3 – Guardians

* * *

October 22nd

Destiny Island's Main Island

After spending some time along the beach, Sora and Ruby decided it was time to get Riku and Kairi.

They used a small raft to reach the docks of the Main Land.

They were now walking through the town, Ruby standing in awe at the many shops and buildings.

Sora noticed this and turned to Ruby, "You know Ruby, it really isn't that impressive, I don't know why you look so surprised."

"I know, but I still can't believe I'm on another WORLD! This is amazing!" She squealed happily

Sora looked around and then whispered in Ruby's ear "Ruby, you can't say things like that out loud, most people don't know about other worlds. It's supposed to remain a secret, Remember?"

Ruby jumped up and covered her mouth, "Sorry, I forgot about that!" she said frantically. "Wait…if nobody is supposed to know about the other worlds then…..did you break some kind of rule bringing me here?" Ruby questioned

Sora had a bit of a red face and was scratching his head.

"You did didn't you?" Ruby asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well…yea….but I guess I can make you an exception" Sora said sheepishly

Ruby chuckled lightly, then resumed to look the new surroundings, this time with a more nostalgic look on her face

"You know….this place kinda reminds me of my home in Patch" Ruby said with a warm smile on her face, reminiscing about her small, but lively hometown.

Sora smiled and said "Hmm, maybe you're lazy like me and you don't know it yet" he said with a light chuckle.

"Hey I am not lazy! I have plenty of energy, I drink milk!" Ruby shot back defiantly

Sora just rolled his eyes and laughed at his girlfriend's silliness

"Ok, were almost there!" Sora said with excitement.

"Who are we picking up first anyway?"

"Well, Riku's just around the corner so…."

As Sora and Ruby turned into the aforementioned street, they saw Riku, sitting on his porch, ready to go.

Sora walked a bit faster to greet his best friend. "Riku!" Sora shouted

Riku noticed the spiky haired boy and quickly got to his feet.

"Sora! He said happily

They ran up and gave each other a quick hug

"It's so good to see you Riku, it's been a while. How have you been?"

Yea, it has, it's been pretty quiet around here, but Kairi and I are ready to move on, you know"

He looked over Sora's shoulder, noticing Ruby waiting behind Sora.

Riku smiled and waved "Oh hey Ruby, it's nice to see you again" He then turned back to Sora with a disapproving look "I wasn't aware that Sora would so openly break the rules"

Sora laughed nervously "Haha…Yea… but come on… it's just Ruby"

Riku sighed "Yea, don't worry its fine, but there's something else you should be concerned with."

"What is it" Sora asked, concerned with the sudden seriousness Riku was displaying

"Well…..Sora…..You're late"

"What…I'm not late, I said I'd be here around 3, it's only –"Sora trailed off as he pulled out his scroll, noticing that it was 5.

"Which was two hours ago. Kairi and I have been waiting here the whole time"

"I'm so sorry, I got caught up in some stuff and I wanted to show Ruby around the island…wait did you say you and Kairi?"

"Yea, she went upstairs to get ready" Riku turned around, opened the door and shouted inside "Hey Kairi! Come on down, Sora's here!"

Ruby noticed Sora visibly shaking and asked "Hey, Sora, are you ok, you're shaking."

Sora's voice cracked "Oh man, Kairi's gonna be pissed" Sora flinched to the sudden sound of someone stomping down the stairs

The door flew open, Kairi emerged, smiling innocently

"Hi, Sora" She said sweetly as she approached him

Sora was terrified. He knew what that innocent and sweet tone meant

H-hey Kairi, it's great to see you, can you believe how nice it is toda-AHH!" Sora was cut off as Kairi pulled his ear.

"Sora…We have been waiting for you for over two hours! If you say you'll be here around 3, then be here around 3! Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Im….." Sora was finding it hard to find any words.

"Yourrr?" Kairi was growing impatient.

"….Sorry" was all Sora could muster up.

Kairi pouted, contemplating Sora's answer. She then sighed and decided to let him go.

"Fine, you're off the hook for now" She noticed Ruby and smiled "I don't know how you manage to put up with this lazy bum sometimes"

Ruby laughed and said "I manage to get by"

Sora, rubbing his ear and pleading his girlfriend "Come on Ruby, don't encourage her"

Ruby stuck her tongue out playfully. Kairi laughed and walked towards Ruby. "Oh Ruby, you have no idea how many times Sora has done something like this. Has he ever told you the story of the raft?"

"Oooooh no, I haven't heard that one, please tell" The two of them started walking together discussing the many embarrassing stories about Sora. Kairi opened a Corridor of Light and stepped inside, alongside Ruby

Sora sighed, he was never gonna hear the end of this. Riku saw how his friend was down, placed his hand on his shoulder, shrugged, and simply said "Women."

"I'll never understand why they love to make fun of me"

"It happens to the best of us, bud." The two of them then followed the two girls through the corridor of Light.

* * *

The newly restored Land of Departure

A world that rests comfortably between the light and darkness, completely devoid of life, except a single shining castle held up by two enormous golden chains.

In its courtyard stood four individuals, three of which were ready to head out on a brand new adventure.

Master Eraqus stood preparing to say goodbye to his pupils Ven, Terra, and Aqua.

"Now remember what I told all of you, the fate of Remnant can have serious ramifications on the balance of the worlds" He said sternly

Ven, Terra, an Aqua stood at attention, astutely listening to their master's every word.

"Can one of you please tell why that is?" Eraqus questioned

Aqua stepped forward and spoke first "It's because Remnant lies within the Center Point of the worlds."

"Yes, that is correct. Worlds that revolve around this Center Point pull a great deal of weight in accordance to the balance of light and darkness. Worlds that reside within this point would include worlds such as our own, Destiny Islands, Disney Town, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and of course Remnant. Each play a significant role in the grand scheme of things and the events that transpire on such worlds can create…..ripples….across the rest"

After finishing his explanation, Master Eraqus stepped up in front of Terra.

"Terra, my boy, even though I have named you master, you still struggle to find your light. Though the darkness within you has subsided, I can sense that your heart is in a constant state of flux. Heading to this new world, I want you…" Eraqus stopped and looked at both Ven and Aqua, then back towards Terra, and smiled "…To keep on fighting for what matters to you the most. Build and find new friends, explore new horizons, and strengthen your bond to the light."

Terra smiled and responded "Thank you master, I'll make you proud"

"It's not about making me proud, Terra. Make yourself proud."

Master Eraqus then walked past Ven, which surprised the boy, and turned his attention towards Aqua.

Aqua, years ago I named you Keyblade Master and trusted you with the secrets to this world. You have always faithfully executed the duties of the keyblade. For that, I thank you

Aqua smiled graciously upon hearing her master's kind words.

"But…" Eraqus continued "it is that same duty that led you down such a dark path and threw your life astray"

Aqua's smile soon faded and was replaced with a solemn expression, remembering how she was thrown into the Realm of Darkness for over eleven years, wandering, fighting, starving, undying, and ageless.

"You were placed into a situation that even, I myself, would be unsure of surviving. But in the end, you came out alive a strong, intelligent, capable, and beautiful young woman. I couldn't be any more proud"

Aqua's face quickly lit up upon hearing her master's words. She then embraced him in a tight hug.

"Thank you master"

After breaking away from the embrace, Eraqus smiled "No thank you…Master" He said nodding his head

Eraqus then turned his attention to his final pupil, Ven.

Ven was sweating nervously under Eraqus's intense, death inducing glare.

"Ventus….." Eraqus said disapprovingly

'Oh no, I'm in for it, he only calls me Ventus when he's angry with me for some reason' Ventus thought to himself, generally scared.

"Just…" Eraqus continued, but then proceeded to sigh "Just don't do anything reckless, ok?"

Ventus stared at his master dumbfounded at the simplicity of his order.

"That's it…You're not gonna give me some big winded speech about how I need to keep my darkness in check and how I need to tread carefully in the affairs of other worlds?"

Terra and Aqua stared at Ven, completely shocked by his bluntness.

Eraqus twitched slightly, irritated at the apparent insult. But instead of reprimanding the boy, he only chuckled.

"No, because your fine the way you are, Ventus" Eraqus said while messing with Ven's sandy blonde hair.

Then a sad look formed on Eraqus's face "It's just….I can't stop thinking about what you've been through for the last eleven years. Your heart lost, alone in the darkness, the only light being you're own and that of Sora's. I cannot possibly imagine the loneliness you felt and endured. For that, I am truly sorry. I just hope that your time on Remnant will help make that part of your life, nothing more than a distant memory.

Ven looked up to his master with a small smile on his face "Thank you, master.

Eraqus stepped back facing all three keyblade wielders this time.

"But most importantly, above all else..."

The trio of keyblade wielders eagerly waited to hear their master's last demand.

"Have fun" Eraqus finished with a smile on his face.

"Right!" the three shouted in unison

Eraqus then opened a corridor of light and watched as his students went off

"Oh and don't be afraid to give your old master a call once in a while ok!"

* * *

Beacon Cliffside

On top of the docking bay platform, overlooking the body of water that surrounds the city of Vale

A corridor of light opens up, emerging from it are three individuals bearing identical black coats.

Xion emerged skipping happily, followed by her two best friends Lea and Roxas, both seemingly carrying a bag full of seashells.

"You know Xion, you really didn't need to get so many, don't you think just one would have been enough?" Roxas asked struggling to carry the bag full of seashells.

Xion stopped, turned around and pouted "Enough is never enough, plus you love it when I leave them by your bed"

"Yea, I loved it until I accidentally rolled on top of them that one time, do you have any idea what it feels like to roll around on a bunch of broken shells?" Roxas's face cringed a bit "It hurts, it hurts a lot."

The two continued to argue with one another, completely ignoring Lea. Lea placed his bag of seashells down and proceeded to sit down by the Cliffside, legs dangling over the edge. He just sat there, admiring the view.

He then turned to his friends, chuckled and shouted "Will you two just get a room already?"

The two in question stopped their bickering and turned to the pyro, red faced and embarrassed "SHUT IT LEA!" They shouted in unison.

"Fine, be that way, I guess I'll have to eat all this ice cream by myself then" Lea said with a sly smile

Not a moment passed and the two were by his side, smiling as though nothing happened.

"Wow you two are way too easy"

The three friends than began to chow down on their all-time favorite treat, Sea salt ice cream. When the three of them were Nobodies, they would sit atop of the Twilight town clock tower, and have it practically every day.

Roxas sat there, reminiscing about all the days they spent together, back then, and now. Ever since Xehanort's defeat, the three of them have been traveling together all across Remnant. They wanted to experience everything this new life of theirs had to offer. They saw the shining city of Atlas, explored the desert ruins of Vacuo, hiked the towering mountains of Mistral, and even swam in the serpentine river, a river with small increments of dust lodged into its foundation, which changes the various properties of the water depending on the season.

He's loved it all and wouldn't give it up for anything.

But when Sora contacted the three of them and asked about the possibility of forming a team between all of the keyblade wielders, the three of them were ecstatic and eager to join up. It would make it easier to travel around with the people being aware of their presence. Plus, the three of them would be able to see Sora again

Despite spending so much time inside of Sora, Roxas and Xion were still eager to see him again. No matter what, he was still an integral part of their lives. Without him, they wouldn't be who they are today. More accurately, without him they wouldn't even BE.

Unfortunately Roxas was rather nervous to see everyone else again. He was fine around Sora, but Roxas wasn't so great around people outside his small group of friends. He could often appear distant, cold, and uninterested in other people. Those he considers friends get to see a much different side of him. With them, he can appear very lively, smiling and laughing, just generally happy. That's why he was so thankful he had Lea and Xion by his side.

He was especially happy to have Xion by his side again. Ever since the two of them were born, one of the few things that they always had was each other. They had each other's backs, supported one another, and generally seemed happier in each other's presence. He still remembered how heartbroken he was when she faded away, lying in his arms.

Roxas was so caught up thinking about Xion, he failed to notice that he had been staring directly at her. He couldn't help it, her shining ocean blue eyes, her warm smile, her slender shoulders and – 'no stop it brain!' Roxas thought to himself.

Xion, was also caught up in her own thoughts, was excited to start this new chapter of her life. She loved her two friends, but unlike Roxas, she was thrilled to be able to go out and meet new people. Unfortunately she found herself constantly worried about Roxas. She knew he had trouble around other people and would find it hard to open up.

But she had faith in her friend. She would be right there to pick him up if he faltered. She would always have his back. She cared about him too much to let him fall.

Xion was pulled out of her thoughts as she turned to Roxas, noticing him staring at her, causing him to jump back a bit. He didn't seem to notice the smudge of ice cream on his cheek.

Xion smiled "Hey silly, you got ice cream on your face." She then cupped the side of Roxas's face and rubbed the small piece of ice cream off with her thumb. "All better" she said sweetly

"Uh…t-thanks" Roxas managed to get out, a faint blush forming on his face.

Lea looked at his two friends and smiled. He saw this "team" that Sora was proposing as a chance to get back into the action of things. He kinda missed the feeling of being in the organization. The sense of having a team behind you, supporting you.

Roxas and Xion were the only good things that came into his life because of the organization.

Lea chuckled and smiled "Man, us Nobodies sure have come far, haven't we"

"Hey that's somebodies to you Mr.!" Xion replied playfully.

The three of them laughed together, happy to actually say stuff like that.

.

.

A Somebody

.

.

A Heart to call our own.

"You know, guys..I just want you to know, that whatever happens you two will always be my best friends. The three of us... we're inseparable" Lea said with a small smile

"You got that memorized?" Roxas shot back

Lea laughed "Yea I definitely got that memorized"

Xion shot up "Alright you two, we gotta hurry up and head down to Vale, were supposed to meet everyone at the City Hall!" Xion said with excitement

"City Hall?" Roxas said nervously "There's gonna be a lot of people with cameras isn't there?"

Lea patted Roxas on the back "Come on buddy, don't be such a zombie, we'll be right up there with you!"

Xion leaned down, extended her hand for Roxas to take "Come on, let's go! Everyone's waiting! She said with a warm smile.

Roxas took her hand and smiled "Yea!"

* * *

Vale's residential district

Heading toward Vale's city hall was Rep and Namine.

"Namine, we should have left earlier, we're going to be late" Rep exclaimed, a bit irritated.

"Don't worry, we won't be late. Plus even if we get there, we'll still have to wait for Roxas, Lea, and Xion. Those three aren't exactly known for being on time" Namine reassured Rep

"Plus it gives us more time to hang out before the crazies arrive"

Rep laughed "Yea I suppose your right" Rep wouldn't mind being alone with Namine. 'Wait that came out wrong' Rep thought to himself

A sudden cold breeze blew through the street, causing Namine to shiver, and clutch her body for warmth.

"Wow I didn't think it be this chilly today" Namine chattered through her teeth

Rep turned, took off his jacket and placed it over Namine's shoulders. "Here, this should keep you warm" He said with a kind smile on his face.

"Thank you Rep, you know, you actually can be a nice guy sometimes" Namine said both thanking the boy and playing with him

"Well that's what you get for only wearing that dress and sandals" Rep criticized

"Aaaand now it's gone" Namine sighed

Rep looked up to see one of the massive Atlesian airships flying overhead. "Whoa, they're pretty impressive aren't they?" Rep said in admiration

"Honestly, I think it's a bit too much. The general went a bit overboard"

"I have to disagree with you, I think the general has every right to have this much firepower. Tensions have been pretty high lately, I mean with Xehanort and the breach, people are scared. Now that the Vytal tournament is here, Vale is in a vulnerable position" Rep responded with a bit of bite

"I agree with you that things have been crazy around Vale, but does a foreign military hovering over these people really make them feel better? It feels less like they're helping and more like they're invading" Namine shot back

Rep was about to counter this, but he couldn't find the words. She wasn't wrong, but Rep had a great deal of respect for the general. He had read up on his service, not only to Atlas, but to the rest of Remnant. To Rep, General Ironwood was his hero.

Namine and Rep stopped to see Vale's City hall in the distance. It was a rather large building, similar in design to the rest of Vale's infrastructure. On its front, was the proudly displayed banner of Vale. Surrounding the building was a large mass of people eagerly awaiting the keyblade wielders. A number of Atlesian soldiers guarded its entrance preventing any civilian from passing.

Namine and Rep approached one of the soldiers requesting that they be allowed to pass, only for him to quickly push them away

"Im sorry kids, but civilians are not permitted entry. This is an internationally sanctioned meeting between the Keyblade wielders, please step away"

Rep and Namine looked at each other, then back to the guard.

"But…we are keyblade wielders, were supposed to be here" Namine pleaded

"Yea sure you are…and I'm Caboose" the guard shot back

Rep raised his eyebrow at the guard "Who?"

"Uhhh….never mind…wrong franchise" the guard said sheepishly

"What does that mean" Namine asked confused by the strange comment.

"Never mind…doesn't matter. Listen if you really are keyblade wielders, then prove it" The guard said with a smug smile.

"Sure" Rep and Namine said in unison. They both raised their hands and materialized their respective keyblades. Rep, with his Lost Memory, and Namine, with her Oathkeeper.

The crowd around them noticed this and gave an audible gasp. Everyone suddenly became silent.

The guard's mouth gaped open in shock. "My apologies….go right ahead" He said, sweating behind his visor

The two young keyblade wielders dismissed their keyblades and proceeded into the building.

Upon arriving to their assigned hall, Rep and Namine noticed something strange and Rep was visibly angry.

Inside the hall, was every one of the other keyblade wielders, already present.

Namine and Rep were late

.

.

Namine and Rep were last

.

.

Namine saw this as a good opportunity to have some fun. She turned to Rep, placed her hands on her hips and exclaimed "See Rep? Now were the last ones here, all because you were too lazy to get up and leave fifteen minutes earlier like I said we should"

Rep's eyes went wide in astonishment "Why, you…."

* * *

After conversing for a while, catching up with one another, the many keyblade wielders decided it was time to get down to business and sat down around a large round table, ready to discuss this "Team".

"Sooo..." Sora began "….What do we do now?"

"Honestly…I have no clue" Ven stated plainly

Rep stood up "I think it's rather simple what we do now. First we need to agree on what our mission as a team will be. What goal do we hope to achieve? Next we should agree on a name and finally, we need to elect a leader" Rep sat down upon finishing.

Aqua spoke almost immediately after Rep sat down "Well I think our mission should remain the same as it's always been. Protect the people of this world, safeguard the light, and ward off the forces of darkness"

"Sounds simple enough" Riku said plainly

"Ok…I'm assuming everyone is ok with that?" Sora asked

All of the keyblade wielders simply nodded.

"Ok then! On to the next order of business! Our name?" Sora continued

Everyone looked around the room, hoping for somebody to have an idea to rally behind.

Roxas then slowly raised his hand, asking for permission to speak.

Sora gave him a small smile "Roxas, you don't have to raise your hand'

"Oh Sorry...haha" Roxas laughed "well I was just thinking, since we used it when fighting against Xehanort…"

"You don't mean…" Sora quickly interjected

"Guardians…." Roxas continued "….We call ourselves the Guardians of Light"

Kairi shot up in excitement "Roxas that's a great idea! It's quick, simple, and easy…"

"To Memorize" Lea quickly shot in

Everyone simply sighed and shook their heads.

"Okay, so were the Guardians. But we still have one last order of business." Added Xion

"Our Leader" Terra said nonchalantly.

"Ok…So let's seriously discuss this because….what are you guys doing?" Sora questioned, seeing that everyone was looking at him and pointing.

"I think everyone's already made their decision, Sora." Namine said raising her eyebrows toward Sora

"What do you…Me!? Nonononono, there are so many other people here more qualified than me.

"Sora, you brought us all here today" Riku said, showing support for his best friend.

"But..." Sora tried to argue back

"No buts Sora!" Xion teased "The truth is that none of us would actually be here if it wasn't for you, you realize that, right?" She added sincerely

Sora turned to his nobody, hoping for his input.

Roxas smiled "I once told you that you made a good other. You haven't proven me wrong yet" Roxas gave him a thumbs up

Terra spoke up next "we trust you, Sora."

"And believe when I say this, there's nobody more qualified." Aqua finished

Sora was astonished by the support they all had for him. He then turned his gaze to Kairi

"Kairi?"

Kairi smiled sweetly and said "Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

Sora couldn't find the words to describe how he felt. Was it happiness, fear, praise, anxiety…he didn't know.

"I don't know what to say guys…"

Rep stood up and smiled "you don't have to say anything. We have your back. Which now brings us to our final task."

"Which is" Sora questioned

"Upon completion of our meeting we're expected to give a speech to the public. So I'll leave that one to you, leader." Rep finished with a mischievous look on his face.

Sora gulped hard "Speech?"

* * *

As the eleven newly made "Guardians" emerged from the main doorway, they stepped out to an eruption of cheers.

The crowd of people outside were eagerly awaiting to hear from the legendary keyblade wielders

To say Sora was terrified would be an understatement.

Luckily, through the sea of voices, Sora heard one in particular.

Sora saw, frantically waving her arms, a cute red hooded girl.

"Ruby!" Sora shouted as he rushed ahead to meet up with her.

Beside Ruby was the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"Sora! What's happening? Are you guys done?"

"Almost…we're about to make it official." Yang then walked up next to Ruby and Sora.

"Hey Sora, nice turnout huh?"

"Yea, hard to believe this many people are here." Sora said, impressed by the immense crowd.

Yang laughed "You've got quite the fan club, Keyboy. Nice job" She then gave Sora a quick fist bump. She then turned to her sister "Especially the ladies" Yang teased

Ruby glared "Yang….."

Yang stepped back a bit "Don't worry sis, I'm just joking."

Team JNPR stepped up beside Sora. Ren spoke up, a rare event, one that is easy to miss if one isn't careful

"What exactly do you guys need to do?" he questioned

Sora's face fell "Our….leader…is supposed to give a speech"

Jaune looked a bit scared "Man I wouldn't want to be that guy, I don't know if I'd be able to stand in front of this crowd. By the way, Sora, who did you guys elect to be your leader anyway?"

"Yea….about that…"

Pyrrha placed her hand on her mouth in realization "Oh..Sora…they elected you didn't they?"

"Yea"

"Ohhhh….good luck with that buddy" Jaune said dismissively

Sora then noticed Weiss snickering, trying to hide a laugh

"Weiss, what's so funny?"

Weiss crossed her arms and had a smug grin on her face "Please, they're expecting YOU to speak in front of all these people! You can barely formulate anything intelligent to say with just us!"

"Yea thanks for that Weiss, you really know how to brighten up my day" Sora sighed and began to walk back, accepting his fate

The Guardians then lined up along the entrance of the building within their respective groups.

Sora stepped to the front, a microphone was already prepared for him. "Hello…is this thing working?" Sora asked while tapping the mic, causing it to emit a high screeching noise.

"Oops sorry about that guys let me just…." Sora began to fumble around, taking the mic off its handle and accidently dropping it, causing it to emit another piercing noise.

After placing the mic back on its handle and recomposing himself, Sora began to speak again

"Um…Hi...I'm Sora….um….and I just…want to say…um…that….." Sora mumbled. He began to panic, seeing the crowd anxiously await his speech. He turned his gaze towards the front, seeing Ruby and Yang giving him a thumbs up.

Seeing Ruby and Yang started to build something from within Sora

…

Sora knew what he had to say

…

He just didn't know if it was what the people wanted to hear though

…

But maybe it was something they needed to hear

Sora took a deep breath and began again

"Being a keyblade wielder isn't as great as it sounds." Sora began, causing the mood of the crowd to quickly drop.

"For most of our lives we're constantly fighting, not really having any choice in the matter. For you, you're free to live out your lives as you wish. Everything is based on your choice, which you're free to change at any time. But for us….we don't have that luxury. Being a keyblade wielder means that we always have to fight, so long as there is darkness in people's hearts." Sora continued, a solemn expression on his face

Ruby had tears in her eyes, finding it difficult hearing Sora's words

Yang had a hand on Ruby's shoulder, feeling sympathy for her friend

Blake was looking up from her book, intently listening to what Sora had to say

Weiss stood shocked, her mouth gaping open. She never thought Sora would be able to say such things

"We don't get a say in it, we may hate it and want to give up, but then that means we not only lose our own lives, but the lives of our loved ones" Sora paused, looking towards Ruby

Sora sighed "I never wanted to fight. I never wanted to be regarded as some kind of hero….I just wanted to save my friends and protect the people I cared about."

"Sora…" Pyrrha said, feeling a great amount of pity for her friend. 'Was this really how Sora felt? How come he never told us?' Pyrrha thought to herself

"I know it sounds bleak, but even after everything we've done, darkness may rise again. And when that time comes, we'll be there to answer the call"

Everything was silent.

"But…it's not all bad. I've seen so much, and experienced so much more. Throughout it all I managed to find happiness, friendship, and even love."

At that, everyone seemed to perk up, seemingly touched by Sora's words.

Ruby was wearing the biggest grin in the world and mouthed to Sora "I love you" to which he mouthed back

Sora then turned around, motioning towards the rest of the keyblade wielders.

"You know… a while ago, this would have never been possible. At one point or another, we were all separated from each other. Some of us were forced into this life, thrown across the worlds" He said pointing towards Riku and Kairi

"Some of us sacrificed everything in order to save our friends" He said pointing towards Ven, Terra, and Aqua

"And some of us were even told that they had no right to exist" He said pointing to Roxas, Lea, Xion, Namine, and Rep.

"We've all had our struggles, but yet, here we are…together…here, on Remnant. I guess I want to finish this up by saying…in the past several months, Remnant has given us so much, and now we only feel that it's right that we give back. So…ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to officially introduce…The Guardians of Light!" Sora declared, a huge grin beaming.

The crowd then erupted into applause and cheers.

"That was…" Blake Began

"Incredible" Weiss finished, clearly astonished by how well Sora spoke.

"Im telling him you said that." Ruby smiled

"Ruby, dont you dare! The last thing I need is that dolt thinking I actually praised him for something other than being an idiot!" Weiss scoffed back.

Sora ran up to Teams RWBY and Team JNPR "How was that?" He asked nervously

Ruby jumped on him, pulling him into a tight hug. "Sora, that was amazing!"

"Really? I want sure how it sounded"

"You spoke well, Sora" Blake said with a small smile "Wouldn't you agree, Weiss?"

The girl in question simply crossed her arms and turned her head away dismissively "That was... better...than I expected" She said plainly

'Yesss...Weiss thinks I did something good for once' Sora mentally cheered himself.

Pyrrha's face fell "But Sora, I had no idea thats how you felt about the keyblade, I guess we always assumed..."

"...That you were happy" Jaune said with concern

This prompted Sora to give a light chuckle "Guys, dont worry about me. The keyblade may not be perfect, but its certainly not bad either. Without it, I would have never been able to meet any of you. You guys are some of my closest friends and..." Sora shook his head with a reassuring smile "I wouldn't have it any other way"

This caused both teams to sigh in relief.

"Very well said, Sora" a voice said calmly.

Sora turned around, revealing a man with messy gray hair happily sipping his mug of coffee.

"Professor Ozpin!" Sora exclaimed, surprised to see Beacon's headmaster. It always amazed Sora how Ozpin could pop up anywhere with nobody ever noticing. "What are you doing here?"

"This will surely be a day to remember. I wouldn't hope to miss it." Ozpin smiled "I would also like to extend an invitation for the guardians to join us at beacon tonight. We're holding a small welcoming party in the amphitheater. The students are eager to meet them. Im sure you understand their curiosity, they've only ever really gotten to know you, Rep, and Namine." Ozpin said with a devious smile, all the while taking another sip from his mug

Sora saw through Ozpin, he knew where he was heading. Sora actually thought it would be a good idea to show his friends at Beacon what his team could do.

"Oh I see...I'll be sure to let them know, it'll be a blast!" Sora responded with a wink

Professor Ozpin smiled with content, knowing that his message was understood. He then walked away, still sipping his coffee

"Oh, oh, oh, Sora! Are we gonna see you at the party tonight?" Nora shouted with excitement

"Of course! Believe me, I am not missing this!"

* * *

Away from the crowd stood Evan Suruat, full clad in his combat gear. He wore blue shirt under a white trench coat. On his coat there seemed to be a strange black symbol around his right shoulder. Around his arms were sets of rerebraces and vambraces. He wore long white pants that seemed to have mechanical boots on top of them. Finally, he had white finglerless gloves that seemed to have the letter "A" on the back of them.

"The Guardians of Light huh? You think this might complicate our plans?" He turned around facing a group of six people, three of which were his teammates for the tournament.

The first was a young woman named Eris Vos. She had shoulder length pink hair and pink eyes. She wore a thin white top with a shallow cut pink undershirt, exposing her midsection. On her back seemed to be the symbol of a fox's head. She also wears white pants and brown chaps that end at her calves and an overlong belt, twice-wrapped, where she keeps her weapons, a pair of chain sickles.

"Oh, hey Eris, whats that you got this time?" Evan asked, noticing a small leather wallet in her hands.

"Oh this? Just nabbed some poor sucker...now lets see..." she said as she perused its contents "fifty lien, a coupon for 10% off any item at Tukson's Book Trade, and...a list of...female associates. Sick bastard" Eris said with disgust. "And you dont have to worry about those kids, they're nothing but pushovers, right Neo?"

The girl in question had black hair tied up in pig tails and green eyes, which seemed to quickly flash into pink and brown. Her attire consisted of a sleeveless black blouse with white frills and a knee-length skirt fastened with a white belt.

Instead of responding, Neo simply smiled and threw what looked to be a business card to Eris. She looked down at the card and read its contents aloud "They're all pretty fun to play with, especially the bimbo"

The last teammate, Suimar Cor, spoke next. She wore a black cloak with blue tassels over a black shirt, robe, and sash, all featuring blue embroidering. "Now Neo, were not here to play" She said with her usual smug expression. "And no Evan, this might just make our jobs even easier."

She then turned to two people wearing similar clothing as her. One, a young woman with long blue hair draped over her shoulder. She wore a light blue cloak with tassels over a darker blue shirt, robe, and sash, all featuring gold embroidering. the other was a tall man, his skin had a darker complexion to it, he had brown hair, and wore a tan cloak with golden tassels, black embroidering, and his shirt, sash, and robe was a light brown.

She spoke to the woman first. "I want you to make sure sure the lab is ready by the doubles round next week. Its time our "Key" is properly...tuned." She said turning back towards the crowd with a devious smile.

"But Sui, there's no way the lab will be ready then, we wont have enough" The blue haired woman pleaded

"Don't worry, we'll have enough to get the desired effect" Sui reassured her

"But - OWW!" The woman was about to argue back but was quickly cut off with a hard slap to her face.

"Enough! Do not question me! Remember your place" Sui glared

The woman lowered her head apologetically "Yes Ma'am"

"And you.." Sui said, this time to the man in the light brown cloak "When that time comes I want you to be ready. If Sora refuses to join us, then I want you to send a message, both to him, and his friends. Use whatever force necessary, but KEEP HIM ALIVE" Sui stressed.

"Understood" The man said, devoid of any emotion.

* * *

 **Im Back!**

 **Yea this chapter took a bit longer than expected, but I had a lot of fun writing it.**

 **This chapter we got to see the various keyblade wielders as they head on out to Remnant, and officially form the Guardians. Of Course they chose Sora as their leader, I mean, who else would they even consider? Sora gave the people a speech showcasing that the Keyblade really isn't as great as you would think. I mean, traveling around the worlds and getting awesome powers is fun and all, but living a life of constant violence, heartbreak, and deception? Yea, not so fun. We also got to see the introduction of the rest of Sui's team, Eris and Neo. Well, at least her team in the tournament I mean. What**

 **The next chapter will be about the welcoming party for the Guardians, which may or may not lead to a sparring class between the Guardians and the students**

 **Just Kidding! It will most definitely lead to a series of one on one duels between the keyblade wielders and the students of Beacon Academy.**

 **Thats kinda what Ozpin meant by the students being eager to meet them**

 **As of right now I have several match ups planned/considering. Let me know if you have any suggestions and also which ones you would like to see first.**

 **Rep vs Cardin**

 **Ven vs Weiss**

 **Lea vs Yang**

 **Roxas vs Blake OR Riku vs Blake**

 **Kairi vs Pyrrha OR Aqua vs Pyrrha**

 **Terra vs Nora OR Terra vs Yatsuhashi**

 **No Namine will not participate in the duels, Im keeping her a surprise...Hehehe**

 **Anyway, until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	4. Party Down

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant: Dawn's beginning**

Chapter 4 – Party Down

* * *

After the official formation of the Guardians, Sora informed his teammates of the welcoming party, to which they all agreed to go, albeit Roxas's hesitance.

They were now walking through the halls of Beacon, alongside Teams RWBY and JNPR, heading toward the amphitheater. All the while Sora had a very Smug smile on his face, which concerned Ruby.

"Sora, your face is scaring me a bit" Ruby said inching away from her boyfriend. Sora was pulled out of his thoughts and dropped the creepy look. "Oh sorry Ruby, I'm just really excited about this party, aren't you?" He asked, expecting that she knew what was really going down.

"Well, I mean I guess it'll be fun for the Guardians to introduce themselves to everyone, but I don't understand why that excites you so much" She said, still confused by Sora's behavior. Sora turned to Ruby, still oblivious to the fact that she really had no idea what this "party" was really about

"No Ruby, not that, you know, the OTHER thing" Sora stressed. "What OTHER thing?" Ruby shot back. Sora then leaned into Ruby's ear and whispered what Ozpin really has planned.

Ruby than began squealing with delight "that's gonna be awesome! I can't…wait, how can you be sure that's what he meant?" she questioned. "Believe me, that's what he meant, that's the exact same thing he said to me after I arrived in beacon. He told me to go observe your combat class so the students could acclimate to me. He said they'd never seen someone like me before, so I had to understand their "curiosity". But all he really meant to say was "Sora, Some of our students want to fight you, so please enjoy" Sora answered with a light laugh.

"Oh yea" Ruby said, remembering the class "That was so much fun, Goodwitch had us fight, but you totally wiped the floor with me" she then chuckled a bit "Not exactly a normal first date, right?" amused by the thought. The two began to laugh.

"Yea that would be a strange first date, but…. I guess my Keyblade's magical charms worked on you and Crescent Rose's…..pointiness…. worked on me" Sora flirted, taking Ruby's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

Ruby giggled as a blush formed on her cheeks. 'Dang it Sora, you always know exactly what to say!' She thought to herself.

Kairi was watching from behind them, pouting at the scene. She didn't want to admit it, but she still had feelings for Sora, and seeing him with another girl was hard for her. Make no mistake, she was happy for Sora, he and Ruby seemed to always get along, but she just wished she was in her position instead.

She didn't hate Ruby, it was quite the opposite really, in the time that she has known Ruby, she has been nothing but sweet and kind to her. Kairi admired how she could be somewhat impulsive, naive, and so innocent. She and Sora were similar in a lot of ways.

Kairi didn't really know what she felt. Was it longing, regret, or was it jealousy. 'Can a princess of heart even feel jealousy?' Kairi thought to herself 'No, maybe it's not jealousy, its more like friendly competit-…no its jealousy. I'm jealous of Ruby Rose' Kairi thought to herself with a sad expression on her face. Kairi shook her head furiously and smiled 'But I won't get in the way of those two, what kind of friend would I be to not only Sora, but to Ruby, if I did? Maybe this party will get my mind off things' Kairi was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard a commotion coming from her left.

She saw Nora jumping up and down, giddy with excitement, all the while tugging on Ren's arm wildly. She was talking loud enough for everyone to hear and fast enough to give both Ruby and Ven a run for their money.

Oh! Ren! Are you excited for the party? I'm excited for the party! Do you think they'll have food? No, of course they'll have food! Maybe they'll have pancakes! Have you known about this party the whole time and decided to make pancakes for everyone? Oh, who's your favorite keyblade wielder? Mine's Terra, he's so big and manly. A total hunk! A bet he could lift five of me! A wonder who's stronger!?" Nora spoke so fast, never giving Ren any time to answer her questions.

Aqua and Terra were also overhearing their conversation. Aqua smiled and elbowed Terra playfully. "Looks like you got yourself a fan, Terra." Terra began scratching his head sheepishly "Yea, it looks like I do. But I still got ways to go until I can even compete with Sora's fan club." Terra finished with a laugh

They turned their attention back to Nora, who was still talking Ren's ear off. "Nora…" Ren finally managed to get a word in. "Yes, Ren?" She asked. "Well if you give me time I would be glad to answer your questions" Ren stated calmly. "Yes, yes, they probably won't have pancakes, no, I didn't make any pancakes, I don't think I have a favorite keyblade wielder, I couldn't say if he is one or not, maybe he can, I have no idea" Ren finished, effectively answering all of Nora's questions.

To those that were listening, they were dumbfounded how Ren was able to keep up with all that. This has probably happened to him more than he'd like to admit.

When the group arrived at the amphitheater, they were quickly greeted by dozens of students. The Guardians quickly spread themselves out amongst the student body, socializing with each other. By the stage area, Yang and Lea were happily conversing with one another.

"..And that's when I grabbed him and said "Instead of "sweetheart", you can just call me "sir"!" Yang laughed, talking about her story with Junior's club.

This elicited a small laugh from Lea "Ooh, ow, that hurts just thinking about it. I'm sure he had that memorized real quick."

"Oh, I made sure he remembered it. I kinda broke his club, so now he gets me whatever I need" The two began to laugh until Yang put on a more serious face.

"Hey Lea, do you mind if I ask you something?" Yang asked

"Shoot. I'm all ears"

Yang began to dart her eyes nervously "Well, from what Namine's told me, you used to be a part of the original organization until you deserted them to help Sora, Right?"

Lea raised an eyebrow at Yang's question "Yea, what's your point?" Lea, answered, not exactly sure where she was going with this thought.

"Well, first off, why did you decide to leave them in the first place? Why did you choose to help Sora, despite knowing that you'd be hunted by the Organization?"

Lea sighed "Listen, my time in the organization wasn't all that great. But, I didn't leave because I was scared of them or anything. I left because of the friends I made there" Lea said with a smile on his face

"Roxas and Xion were the reason I stayed, and when they…." Lea paused. "…left… I didn't have any reason to stick around. I just wanted to see my friends again; and Sora was the only way I could. You see….Roxas and Xion…have a… strong connection with Sora, so I trusted him." Lea finished, not really sure how to explain that Roxas and Xion were part of Sora.

"Oh, ok." Yang said with a small smile, satisfied with his answer.

"But I guess what I really want to ask is….What made you want to become a keyblade wielder?"

Lea's eyes went wide, he was surprised by the question, and wasn't sure how to answer it. "Where's this coming from, Yang?" Lea asked. "Oh sorry, it's just…a professor of mine asked me why I chose to be a huntress a while back. I wasn't really sure how to answer or why he even asked. I guess it just made me curious about why you'd want to be a keyblade wielder, you know, what drives you?" Yang finished.

"Well I…hmm. If you don't mind me asking, what did you tell him?" Lea inquired

"I told him I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win, y'know?" Yang replied, not sure how Lea would react to that kind of answer. Her face fell, but much to her dismay, Lea actually shot up in agreement.

"My thoughts exactly! If you have a dream, don't wait. Act. One of life's little rules. Got it memorized?" Lea said reassuringly.

Yang's face lit up, a huge smile forming on her face. She was happy that someone understood how she felt about being a huntress. It was even better that it was coming from a keyblade wielder. 'Maybe Hunters and keyblade wielders aren't so different after all' Yang thought to herself.

* * *

In another part of the room stood Roxas and Xion, surrounded by a large group of students bombarding them with questions

"Can you really duel wield?"

"I love your hair, its so cute"

"How come you look so much like that Ven kid?"

"I love the black coat, its so cool!"

"Wait isn't that the coat that Xehanort used?

"He's pretty cute do you think he's single?"

"Shes pretty cute, do you think she's single?"

"They're pretty cute together, do you think they're a couple?"

All of these questions and more swirled around Roxas and Xion.

The two of them simply stood there smiling, a bit flustered from all the attention they were getting. Xion turned to Roxas and whispered "Man these people really love to ask a lot of questions, they just don't know how to stop!"

Roxas laughed "Well this is what you wanted. We're practically the center of attention." He said smiling, to which Xion graciously returned. Xion was happy to see Roxas interacting with the students, albeit they were total strangers. Despite being swarmed by all these people Roxas seemed pretty content and relaxed knowing that Xion was there and in the same position. He seemed more confidant, which made her happy. Xion was pulled out of her thoughts when she suddenly felt someone gently holding her hand. She looked up to see it was Roxas, a wide grin was spread across his face. "I'm happy you're here with me, Xion. I think I'd be a nervous wreck if you weren't" He told her before letting go of her hand. Xion stood there, frozen from Roxas's sudden act. She wasn't angry or embarrassed, but actually felt flattered.

"Aww, look, they were holding hands"

"Those two are totally an item"

"Quick somebody write down their shipping name! RokuShi!"

Xion simply laughed off the comments the girls were making. 'pshhh, come on, Roxas and I, a couple? Where do these girls come up with this stuff? I mean, I love Roxas, but not like that! He's my best friend, he practically means the world to me. And come on, Roxas doesn't have feelings for me like that! And I don't have…feelings for Roxas. Right?' Xion thought to herself. She began to blush upon thinking of something more between the two of them, but quickly shook her head and lightly patted her cheeks to stop any further thoughts

Roxas on the other hand was happily conversing with several of beacons students. He noticed that a girl was shyly standing away from the small group of students, holding a camera down by her legs.

She wore a short, long-sleeved brown jacket with a golden zipper, brown pants and black leggings with golden detail. She also wore a black, semi-translucent undershirt beneath her jacket, along with golden spaulders and vambraces on both arms, as well as a similar belt. She had long brown hair and brown eyes to match, but perhaps the most notable feature on her was the large bunny ears on her head.

Roxas decided to talk to her, feeling a bit bad for her. "Hey, why are you standing there by yourself?" Roxas asked

The girl's eyes went wide and she then pointed to herself, as if asking if he meant her. "Oh…um…sorry...I just don't really know what to say" the girl said shyly, avoiding his gaze. Roxas smiled and approached her. "Well for starters, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Roxas!"

"Hi Roxas…I'm V-Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina" she said giving a small smile. "It's nice to meet you Velvet!"

Velvet began to stand a bit taller in his presence, a bit more comfortable around him. "Wow, I d-didn't think you would even want to talk to me" She said still avoiding his gaze

"Why would I do that" Roxas questioned, completely oblivious to the obvious reason of her being a Faunus.

"Well, you know…it's because…I'm a…you know" She said, pointing to her bunny ears, with a look of fear and shame

"A Faunus? I don't care if you're human or not. You're still a person with a heart, just like everyone else" Roxas finished with a supportive smile. "Plus it can't be all that bad with the enhanced hearing, the night vision, and the cute bunny ears" Roxas chuckled

Velvet's face shot up, her eyes wide, and a slight blush on her face. "T-thanks, it means a lot to hear you say that" She managed to get out, still a bit flustered from Roxas's kindness. "No problem!" Roxas replied with a cheeky grin.

Velvet began shifting her feet a bit "I have a question, if you don't mind me asking."

"Uhh, sure. What is it?"

"Is it true that you can duel wield keyblades?" She asked.

"Well…sort of. I used to be able to duel wield with two keyblades…but ever since… um" Roxas wasn't sure how explain that he used to be Sora's nobody and his synch blade ability was altered after he got his own body and heart. "…Ever since the battle with Xehanort, my duel wielding ability was altered. I used to be able to use two separate keyblades, but now I can split my own keyblade into two almost ethereal-like keyblades. One of light and one of darkness." Roxas explained

Velvet began to jump with excitement. Oh, can you please show me!? I would love to get a picture!"

"Um, yea sure. No problem." Roxas raised his right hand, summoning his keyblade, Two Become One. He then placed his left hand along the hilt and slowly pulled away. A small light emitted from his keyblade and in his right hand where his Two Become One should have been, was a keyblade composed entirely of light. In his left hand, a similar looking keyblade composed of entirely darkness. "Ta- daa!" Roxas exclaimed with a small grin.

"Oooh, that's perfect!" With a quick flash of her camera, she snapped a shot of the duel blades. "Thank you so much! Anyway, it was nice meeting you Roxas, hopefully we can talk again later" She said sweetly, before heading off to find her teammates.

Roxas waved bye to the bunny girl, happy to have made a new friend. He then noticed that she was going around and taking pictures of some students. More specifically, their weapons. "Huh, maybe she's a weapon junkie like Ruby, she sure loves to take pictures" Roxas didn't really give it much thought.

* * *

In a more secluded and quieter part of the amphitheater

Riku stood with Blake, who was engrossed in yet another book. When Riku returned to Destiny Islands, he took an interest in reading, and actually read several novels. He didn't read nearly as much or as fast as Blake, but it was still something the two of them could talk about. As He and Blake were talking, Riku noticed something about Blake that was bothering him. He didn't understand why she would hide such a thing.

"Hey Blake?"

"Hmm?"

If you don't mind me asking, why do you wear that bow?" Riku asked

Blake's eyes went wide for a moment, but she remained calm "I just like the way it looks" she responded. Riku gave a small smile "Come on, I know that's not why you wear it" Blake closed her book and looked at him with fearful eyes.

"You're a Faunus, aren-?" Riku stated, before Blake quickly placed her hand on his mouth to stop this line of thought.

She glared at him, more full of anger and frustration, rather than the fear she showed previously. "Who told you? Was it Ruby or…or…was it Jaune?" Blake demanded. Riku gently lifted her hand from his mouth "Nobody told me, it honestly wasn't hard to figure out" Riku stated with a warm smile

"But…Sora, and the others…. They never figured it out until I told them" Blake said, her mouth hanging open in shock.

Riku gave a small chuckle "Sora never did pick the...brightest friends"

"Oh" Blake said lowly. She stood there, averting her gaze. She just waited for the insults and the jokes, but they never came. Instead, Riku said something that surprised her. "Hey there's nothing to be ashamed about, I think it's pretty cool. Nobody should be treated unfairly just because they look a little different than everyone else" Riku said reassuringly before giving a small laugh. "Remind me to tell you about how I wandered in the Realm of Darkness with a talking mouse"

This surprised Blake. He really didn't have any prejudice against the Faunus. "You don't have to hide" Riku added

Blake narrowed her eyes. "You may be willing to accept the Faunus, Riku, but your species is not. Plus, I've made some mistakes that I'm not so proud of. I just want people to see me for who I am, not what I am" Blake said with a defeated expression. "You wouldn't understand"

Riku's face fell "Hmm, I understand better than you think".

"What…what do you mean?" Blake asked curiously

Riku sighed and began to tell his tale "When Sora first got the Keyblade, I was…lost…I willingly gave myself to the darkness, thinking it would set me free. I hurt people, including Sora and Kairi. I helped destroy world after world. I was manipulated and used like a puppet by Ansem, the list goes on and on" Riku said, pain in his voice. "I thought I was lost for good, but then Sora gave me a second chance. I didn't deserve redemption and I didn't want it either. I just wanted to save my friends" Riku added, shaking a little bit as he remembered more and more. "And when Sora lost his memories inside Castle Oblivion, he was put into a long sleep so Namine could repair them…." Riku trailed off.

'I remember Sora telling us about his journey through Castle Oblivion' Blake thought to herself, remembering everything Sora told them about his adventures.

Shortly after they had their first confrontation with Xehanort's forces, Sora told her, the members of Team RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY all about his journeys. They was amazed to hear everything that the boy went through in such a short amount of time. The worlds being destroyed by Ansem, his memories slipping away inside Castle Oblivion, Organization XIII's goal, and his mark of mastery. What she didn't know was that Sora left a few parts out.

Specifically the parts about how he sacrificed himself to save Kairi, became a Heartless, his connections to Roxas, Xion, Ventus, and Namine, but most importantly, his Anti form.

Anti-form represented everything Sora hated, it was the source of all his fears, struggles, and turmoil. He had been lucky during his time on Remnant, as he only fell into it twice. The first was during a heartless extermination mission outside of Vale, the second was during his battle with Cinder Fall, one of Xehanort's darknesses, and her two followers Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai. Luckily, none of Sora's friends on Remnant saw the battle or learned of his anti-form. It didn't end well and Sora didn't want anyone seeing the state that he left the three villains.

Blake focused back on Riku, eager to hear the rest of his story. "I hurt Xion. I hurt Roxas. All to ensure that my friend slept in peace." Riku continued "and throughout it all, I still relied on the power of darkness. But to use darkness, I had to become the darkness myself."

Blake looked at Riku with pity 'Wow, Riku's been through hell and back. I don't think I can even compare myself to what he's been through' Blake thought to herself. But then something Riku said began to bother her. 'Why was it that Namine was the one to place Sora's memories back together and why did Riku have to hurt Roxas and Xion in order to protect Sora?' She needed to know the answers.

"But in the end, Sora always finds a way to bring me back to the light." Riku finished with a small smile. "On the outside I may simply appear as Riku, the Keyblade Master, Sora's best friend, but in reality, I'm just a monster who willingly gave themselves to the darkness."

"I'm sorry, you've been through a lot and I didn't know. I should have never doubted you" Blake apologized"

"Don't worry about it!" Riku smiled "I guess my point is that you can't keep running from your mistakes. The only way for you to move on is to face them. You can't hide from it forever"

"Oh. It won't be easy…but, maybe your right" Blake said with a thoughtful expression, she then decided to follow it with what had been bothering her from Riku's story.

"Hey Riku..?"

"Yea, what's up?"

"How come Namine was the one to fix Sora's memories?

Riku contemplated her question but decided to be honest with Blake. Something told him he could trust her with the sensitive details.

"Namine has the ability to control the memories of Sora and those connected to him. She was actually the one who shattered Sora's memories in the first place, she was being used by the organization. But Sora managed to save her"

"But I don't understand, why did she have that power over Sora specifically?" Blake asked

"It's because she's Kairi's Nobody." Riku said plainly

"Wha...Nobody! I thought that's what happened when somebody loses their heart?"

Riku sighed "Sora told you guys about how he saved Kairi right?"

"He told us that her heart was trapped, but he managed to free her."

"I guess that means he didn't tell you HOW he saved her."

Blake's eyes grew wide "No, no he didn't."

"Well the truth is, after Destiny Islands was lost to the darkness, Kairi's heart took shelter within Sora's. When he was fighting Anse- Me..." Riku's face fell "…he learned of a way to free her. So, Sora released his own heart in order to free Kairi's. In that moment Namine was born. Namine's unique because, despite being Kairi's Nobody, she was also born from Sora's heart as well"

"Wow, that's a lot to take in" Blake said before realization dawned on her "Wait! You said Sora released his own heart! Then that means..."

"Sora turned into a heartless. Yea. But Kairi managed to restore him back to normal. Kairi is what is known as a Princess of Heart. One of seven beings in the universe whose hearts are made entirely of light. She has abilities that none of us will ever understand." Riku cut her off

"But then that also means, that Sora has a Nobody as well"

"Yep. Roxas was Sora's Nobody"

"And Xion?" Blake questioned

"Was the Organizations failed attempt to create a replica of Sora using his memories. But Sora's strongest memories before he went to sleep were those of Kairi, hence the resemblance between the two."

"But, why did you hurt them then if they were part of Sora?

Riku took a deep breath. "It's because their existence halted Sora's progress. They each held a part of Sora, and without them, he might have never woken up. So, I….ensured that they came back to Sora. Eventually I made sure Namine came back as well" Blake inched back a bit, knowing full well what he meant.

But then Riku's face lit up with a warm smile "But in the end, Sora was able to free them from his heart. They're their own people now, their own life, and their own hearts"

"Wow. That's incredible" She said, now turning her gaze toward Sora, who was now laughing with Roxas and Xion about something. "It's hard to believe all that happened and yet, here they are, happily laughing together. I wonder why Sora never told us" She said.

"There are some things that Sora just doesn't like to discuss" Riku said

Then Riku's more chipper personality returned "Anyway back to the topic at hand. Blake...Would it be ok…?" Riku paused, thinking about his question

Blake inched back, not really sure what he was going to ask of her. "…If I could see them?" He asked innocently, pointing toward her bow. Blake was a bit surprised, but she should have expected it. Normally Blake would never let anyone see her Faunus heritage, but she felt she could trust Riku. She felt comfortable around him. Riku didn't really care about her being a Faunus and didn't treat her any differently because of it.

She looked around, making sure nobody was looking and motioned Riku to follow her. The two of them went to a dark corner away from any prying eyes. "Ok, here it is" Blake proceeded to remove her bow, revealing her two cat ears.

"Oh" Riku was surprised to see it was cat ears. "See, nothing to be ashamed of" he said with a warm smile. "Thanks" Blake responded sheepishly "But please keep this a secret. Only the rest of my team, JNPR, and Sora know"

"Sure, it's a promise" Riku said, still staring at Blake's cat ears with intrigue "But you know, Roxas, Xion, Ven, Rep, and Namine all know as well from residing in Sora's heart."

"Oh I forgot about Roxas and Xion" Blake's eyes suddenly went wide with shock "Wait did you say Ven, Rep, and Namine as well! How is that possi- ah!"

Blake's entire body shook as she felt something softly rubbing one of her cat ears. She didn't know what it was at first until she turned around to see it was Riku gently rubbing her cat ear. "R-Riku, w-what are you doing?" Blake asked.

"Oh, sorry. I couldn't resist. They just looked so soft" Riku apologized.

'Nope, that is enough! That is going too far! It's demeaning and embarrassing!' Blake thought, ready to snap at the boy. But for some reason, Blake let it continue. She had never let anyone touch her ears before and it was hard not to admit that it actually felt nice. Instead of pulling away, Blake closed her eyes, leaned a bit into Riku, and elicited a small cat like purr. Once she realized what she had been doing, Blake quickly pulled away, covering her ears. Her cat ears that is.

"Sorry about that, I guess I let my curiosity get the better of me" Riku raised his hands apologetically, expecting Blake to be angry with him. But in fact, she didn't looks angry with him. She was slightly blushing and simply stared at Riku with a shocked expression on her face. It was a completely different side of Blake that few people actually get to see.

"Riku…." Blake began "…Just give me heads up if you're going to do something like that, ok?" Blake said with a red face.

"Yea, of course" Riku agreed, but then began to smirk. "Although it did look like you enjoyed it"

Blake's face was turning deeper shades of red by the second. "No! Well…I mean…" Blake sighed

Riku chuckled lightly "Well, Miss Belladonna, looks like I found out your weakness"

Blake pouted "You're the worst" she joked

The two of them began to laugh. "Come on, let's head back to the party." Riku said with a warm smile. "Yea" Blake said as she re-tied her bow. "You know, I'm glad we talked" Blake said.

"Yea, me too" Riku said, happy to have made a new friend that he could relate a bit with.

* * *

Away from the crowd, Weiss stood alone, simply watching the party

It wasn't that she didn't enjoy parties, it's just that she didn't feel like interacting with any of the new keyblade wielders. She had her hands full with just one of them. Though she also knew Namine and Rep, but they were an entirely different breed of Keyblade wielders apart from Sora. Namine was always polite and well mannered. Rep was always very precise and tactical. Qualities that Weiss admired. But Sora! Sora was always so impulsive, unpredictable, and he irritated the crap out of her. Not unlike a certain leader of hers. Despite her cold attitude towards Sora, Weiss still regarded him as a friend. She didn't hate him, but might have felt slightly jealous of him. He was everything a Huntress strives to be! A strong and powerful warrior, kind to everyone, and loved by all. People swarmed to be in his presence. He made friends like it was nothing. While Weiss, simply stood by, alone, watching it all happen. And now there's eight more of them!

All her life, everything was decided for her. Weiss never really had a life outside of her family's estate. Her father, Franklin Weiss, controlled practically every facet of her being. From her education, to her security, to her training, even socializing with other kids. Because of this, Weiss made few friends growing up, outside of the ones her father "provided" for her. She lived most of her life feeling quite lonely, being cut off from the rest of the world.

Between her father's job with the company and constant attacks from the White Fang, Weiss's childhood was rough. So she put on a cold exterior in order to protect herself from people. She was afraid that they'd just use her like her father. And when people like Ruby, Blake, Yang, and even Sora came into her life, it was difficult for her to accept them.

This is why she stood away from everyone at the party, the same reason she wasn't particularly fond of Sora.

It simply wasn't fair. And because of that, she felt alone.

Weiss was pulled out of her thoughts as a boy with sandy blonde hair and a metallic pauldron approached her. 'It's Ventus, one of the new keyblade wielders. What the hell does he want?' Weiss thought, irritated by his sudden intrusion.

"Hey, I saw you were here by yourself, so I wanted to come say hi! I'm Ventus, but most people just call me Ven!" Ven happily said.

Weiss narrowed her eyes toward the boy "Hello, it's nice to meet you Ven" Weiss said irritably "Im…Weiss was then cut off before she could continue

"I know who you are! Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, your rapier can harness different forms of dust, you can use glyphs, your breakfast every morning is an apple, you take at least two hours getting ready, and you love to sing in the shower!" Ven quickly said, not really thinking.

Weiss's eyes went wide with shock and then quickly to anger. "I'm Sorry! Have you been stalking me!?" Weiss demanded, clearly angry.

'Oh shit, did I say that out loud? I completely forgot that she doesn't know. Dammit Ven, you're an idiot' Ven thought, mentally cursing himself.

"Oh…uh…um...Sora! Yea, Sora! Sora told me about you, sorry" Ven partly lied

Weiss crossed her arms and turned away from Ven "If you wanted to know more about me, you should have just asked me yourself! Not go behind my back like some creep!" She shot back.

"Sorry, it's just...I was excited to finally meet you" Ven said lowly

Weiss noticed this and softened a bit "Whatever. Is there something you wanted?"

"No, not anything I wanted…I just wanted to talk" Ven said, really wanting to change the subject. "Soooo…it must be pretty cool being an heiress, right? You're super rich, you can get whatever you want, do whatever you want. You must have made all kinds of friends!" Ven said with a small smile.

It was this line that sent Weiss over the edge. Pent up frustration hit her like a tidal wave "Listen, I don't know what Sora told you, but you have NO idea what you're talking about. And how could you? All you've ever had to do was prance around the universe with your keyblade, not a worry in the world. People flock to you like it's nothing. You have no idea what it feels like to be alone!" Weiss barked

Ven averted his gaze in shame "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend or upset you in any way. I was just trying to- Ven got out before being cut off

"Please just stop, ok! I'm just gonna go. It was nice meeting you" Weiss said coldly before storming off.

Ven watched her as she walked away "I understand more than you know" Ven said lowly

The truth was that the only reason he knew that stuff about her was because of him residing in Sora's Heart. During Sora's initial time in Remnant, he was forced to room in the same dorm as Team RWBY. Both Sora and Weiss tried to fight it, believing that it was inappropriate for him to be in the same room as four girls. But Ruby, Blake, and Yang didn't seem to mind, so Professor Ozpin just went along with it. Sora slept in the middle of the room, a nice sleeping bag provided for him.

Sora would wake every morning and immediately cover his eyes, afraid of seeing something he wasn't supposed to. From within his heart Xion was doing the very same to Roxas, covering his eyes as the RWBY girls would get dressed and go about their morning routines. Rep didn't really seem fazed all too much. Namine would laugh innocently at the situation Sora and Roxas were in.

But Ven would only focus on one thing every day. He would always wake to the sweet melodious tunes of Weiss singing from within RWBY's shower. He thought she had a beautiful voice, so full of emotion and honesty. Ven would find himself constantly singing the tunes to himself. His favorite was a song that went something like " _Mirror, mirror, tell me something, who's the loneliest of all? I'm the loneliest of all."_ Though when he sang it, it didn't sound as nice.

Despite how cold she treated Sora, Ven really never seemed to mind her attitude. While Sora would focus his attention getting to know Ruby, Ven would just sit there, in spirit of course, and try to reach out to Weiss in any way he could. It never worked of course. But the reason Ven felt so drawn to Weiss was because he felt that he understood where she was coming from. He understood what it felt like to be used and controlled from his time as Master Xehanort's pupil. He knew all too well what it felt like to be alone from waiting within the dark reaches of Sora's heart for over eleven years. Ven simply wanted to let her know that she wasn't alone anymore.

He just wanted to know more about her. He just wanted to meet her as himself, not through Sora. And now that he had that opportunity, he screwed up. He made her angry and upset. 'She probably felt so small against all these keyblade wielders. Me bringing up her position as an heiress and having lots of friends didn't help' Ven thought to himself. 'There's gotta be something I can do fix this'

Ven was pulled out of his thoughts as a powerful, booming voice echoed throughout the amphitheater. "Attention Students, please direct your attention to the stage" Glynda Goodwitch projected her voice, ensuring she was clearly heard.

Every student stopped what they were doing and turned their gaze toward the professor. They wouldn't dare disobey her. The wrath of Goodwitch was feared throughout the school.

"Professor Ozpin has just informed me that in light of our new "Guardians", we will be holding a special combat class in fifteen minutes. You will be facing against the various members of the Guardians, so treat your opponent with caution. This will not only be a good learning experience in addressing your strengths as Huntsman and Huntresses, but your weaknesses as well"

There was mumblings among the students. Some were excited, some were nervous, and some were absolutely terrified.

No complaints were heard from the Guardians however. They didn't mind a good fight, and were curious to see what Huntsman could do.

* * *

After the keyblade wielders and students took their seats in the front of the stage area, Goodwitch was ready to begin.

"The rules are simple. One student and one Guardian will be randomly selected to partake in full contact combat. Your aura levels will be displayed and can be used to determine when it is appropriate to attack and when it is better to move to a more defensive strategy. The match is over when ones aura level hits 0%." She then looked at her scroll, beginning the randomization process.

"Our first match of the night will be Nora Valkyrie of Team JNPR…." Goodwitch began

"Wooooo, ill break their legs!" Nora happily exclaimed

"Please don't do that, Nora" Jaune pleaded

"…Against Terra" she finished

A sense of wonder filled the room. These were the two strongest fighters between the two groups, physically speaking.

"I wonder who's stronger."

"They could destroy the school!"

"ooh Terra's pretty hot, don't you think"

"Woah look at that massive keyblade, how can lift that thing?

This wasn't going to be a fight determined by power or skill. This was a fight of pure physical strength.

The two combatants stood opposite each other, their weapons ready. Terra had his Ends of the Earth slouched over his right shoulder, Nora spun her Magnhild in front of her.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the match.

The two warriors then charged at each other with full force.

This was a battle not to be missed

* * *

 **Hey everyone!**

 **So this chapter was pretty much just the Keyblade wielders interacting with various RWBY characters, not much else. Lea and Yang have a bit of a mutual understanding for each other. Roxas and Xion had a moment. Velvet took a picture of a certain Synch blade ability. Blake likes having her cat ears scratched. Weiss is frustrated at all the new keyblade wielders and lashed out at Ven. Ven is just a nice guy that feels bad for Weiss.**

 **Phew! SO much drama, lets get to some fighting!**

 **Next chapter is the start of the one on one duels. Terra vs Nora! Destruction is an understatement between these two**

 **Oh I received a review that talked about some confusion concerning the time skips. A** **ll you really have to know is that Sora has been on Remnant for 6 months. within the first three months, the only things that occurred was Sora making new friends across Beacon, the initial conflicts with Xehanort and his forces, and ultimately the final confrontation with Xehanort.**

 **The three months following following Xehanort's defeat comprises of the keyblade wielders going their separate ways, Sora and Ruby becoming a couple, and the entirety of RWBY Vol 2(minus the dance and any scenes concerning cinder,mercury, and emerald, as I have plans for those)**

 **You also may have noticed in this chapter a mention of the instances Sora has gone into his anti form on Remnant. I will be making a flashback of one of these instances in the future. Im sure you can guess which one.**

 **Also, I would really appreciate it if you leave as much feedback as you can. Please feel free to leave any comments, questions, and suggestions in the reviews. I will do my best to answer them as best as I can**

 **Next chapter**

 **The Lingering Boop**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	5. The Lingering Boop

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant: Dawn's beginning**

Chapter 5 – The Lingering Boop

The two brutes charged toward each other

Pure physical prowess flowed through these two warriors as they continuously clashed back and forth. Terra and Nora were both struggling to overwhelm each other, barely making a few hits on each other. Terra's aura level was at 89% while Nora's was at 92%. Terra's Ends of the Earth was currently locked with Nora's Magnhild.

Dodging to her right, Nora avoided a powerful overhead strike from Terra. Even though she was struggling to both avoid his strikes and retaliate with her own, she was having a blast! 'I finally get to fight a keyblade wielder!' Nora squealed inside her head 'well I did fight Sora and I did fight Xehanort as well, but they don't count!'

Nora charged at Terra, twirling her massive hammer all around her, unleashing several powerful strikes upon him, to which he dodged and blocked accordingly

Watching form the stands, Teams RWBY and JNPR sat with the Guardians.

"Wow, I've never seen anyone actually go toe to toe with Terra in terms of strength" Aqua said in astonishment

"Well it is her pride and joy" Pyrrha responded with a light laugh

"Hey Aqua, remind me how we got stuck doing these fights again?" Ven cut in

Aqua rolled her eyes "Sora kinda made a secret deal with Professor Ozpin and put our names forward

Ven chuckled "I guess that's what we get for making him our leader, I mean he could have at least told us beforehand, or gave us a vote"

Aqua sighed "Well I guess as leader he probably thought long and hard about this decision"

Aqua and Ven simply looked at each other and began to laugh. Ven then responded "Yea, Sora doesn't think too hard, he probably thought it would be fun to have some fights"

Aqua smiled "Well I'm not complaining, I wouldn't mind having a nice sparring match among peers"

"I second that. Is there anyone you want to fight in particular?" Ven asked

Aqua's eyes widened a bit "Actually, yes there is" She said before turning to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, Sora's told me a lot about your skills, I would love it if we had a chance to fight"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded "It would be my honor"

'Wow. Aqua vs Pyrrha! Now that's a fight I want to see!' Ven thought to himself. Ven had fond memories of Pyrrha from Sora's heart. He admired how strong and fierce she was in combat. She was practically untouchable. Ven could see why Aqua would want to fight her. They're a lot alike. Aqua is one of the strongest keyblade wielders active and second in terms of magic, only behind Master Yen Sid. She probably sees Pyrrha as an equal.

"I wonder who I'll fight." Ven wondered out loud. He looked around the room, taking in all the competition 'ooh maybe I'll fight Fox, he's pretty fast and might be able to keep up with me! Or better yet, how about Blake? She's so elusive with her shadow clones. That'll be a real challenge. Or maybe…' Ven's thoughts trailed off as he saw Weiss glaring at him from across the room. When she realized he noticed her she quickly turned her gaze back to the match.

'Shit, she's still angry with me. Ill apologize again when the fights are done. I just have to remember to avoid topics like her family and stuff. There can't be any way I can make this any worse' Ven thought with a sad expression on his face.

Back to the fight, Terra and Nora were currently locked with each other. Terra was starting to get a bit frustrated at how this fight was going. There had to be something he could do to get an edge. Terra jumped back, breaking the stalemate. He then charged at Nora, unleashing several powerful strikes with his sword. Nora managed to block most of his strikes, but took a couple hits to her left arm.

Nora brought Magnhild crashing down, locking once again with Terra's Keyblade. Nora gritted her teeth, forcing all of her strength into pushing Terra back. 'I have to break his defense, if I can do that, I can land a serious blow' Nora though with a silly grin 'not many people can really get up after getting hit from Magnhild' she looked up at their aura levels. Her aura was down to 85%, Terra's was at 87%.

'Because of her hammer she needs to get up close to attack, so If I can keep my distance and use ranged attacks, I should be able to take her down. I need something that will keep her away' Terra thought. Terra smiled, knowing exactly what he could use.

Terra pressed his blade forward and softly said "Quake"

"Huh" Nora questioned, not understanding.

Terra stomped his right leg down to the ground, causing several boulders to rise around him. The sudden appearance of the boulders caught Nora off guard, and forced her to jump back. Unfortunately, the sharp edges of a nearby boulder hit Nora with a lot of force. She looked up at her aura, it now down to 77%

'Dammit, I didn't see that one coming. But if he tries another stunt like that I'll just SMASH IT!' Nora thought

This was Terra's chance to turn the tides in his favor. He just needed to keep her away 'Better keep her on her toes'

Terra brought his keyblade over his head and swung it down, smashing the ground. "Geo Impact!" Terra shouted, activating his next attack. Boulders emerged from the ground once again, but instead of remaining around Terra, they started to rise up in succession towards Nora.

A huge line of boulders was now charging towards the hammer wielding huntress. But she was ready for it. A huge smile on her face, Nora readied her hammer. "Smash!" She shouted as she swung her mighty hammer across the impending boulders, smashing them to pieces. Several shards of the boulders were shot back towards Terra, slashing his arm. He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain. His aura was now at 80%.

He then looked up to see several pink projectiles shooting towards him. Terra dodged and rolled away to avoid the fiery explosions left behind from their impact. Terra now saw that Nora no longer held her hammer, but a grenade launcher.

'A grenade launcher! How….never mind…this is Beacon, everybody's weapon transforms. I should have expected something like this. Ok maybe a different strategy. If I can stun her, then I should have enough time to get in close and land some serious hits. I know!'

Terra pointed his keyblade up and shouted "Thundaga!"

As soon as he chanted it a bolt of lightning came down from the ceiling and struck Nora. Now was Terra's chance to strike.

"Oh no he did not just use a Thundaga on Nora, did he?" Sora asked, his face growing somewhere between concern and amusement.

"Yep its all over now Sora, you better cough up that lien" Jaune said, trying to hold back a laugh

"I don't have lien, Jaune, I have munny" Sora said

Ven, overhearing this bet between the two boys decided to cut in. "Wait how can you possibly count Terra out now? Nora won't be able to recover in time from the lightning to block Terra" Ven said, defending his friend.

Ven was stopped in his tracks when Ren suddenly tapped him on his shoulder "While you may be correct Ven, against most opponents this strategy is a good one, but Nora can use lightning to activate her semblance." Ren stated calmly.

Ven's eyes widened in horror. "Her…Semblance…Oh no"

Terra charged towards Nora, ready to strike. But then something strange caught his attention. It looked to be a body surrounded by what looked like pink electricity charging.

Charging at him.

Nora charged towards Terra with ferocious speed and strength. She brought her hammer down, narrowly missing Terra as he managed to roll to his left. The force behind her attack created small shockwaves and a crater in the ground.

'Crap, how did she get so strong all of a sudden?' Terra though, right before noticing the pink electricity still surrounding her body.

Nora smiled innocently "By the way, thanks for the charge. Im all fired up now!" She finished with a small giggle. She then began to charge towards Terra again, locking her hammer with his sword.

But this time was different. They were on completely different footing now. Nora was pushing back Terra. Terra, who was barely able to keep his ground and block her attacks was growing frustrated from the sudden change in the battle. Nora continued to spin her hammer effortlessly against Terra, pushing him further back on the stage until….

She managed to break through his defense! His hand holding his keyblade was now extended out to his side trying to recover in time to block the next set of Nora's onslaught. But it was too late. Nora spun her hammer vertically, swinging it underhanded towards the defenseless face of Terra.

"Oh Shi…." Was all Terra was able to get out as Nora's Magnhild connected with his face, sending him flying towards the ceiling. Terra was seeing stars, and cringing from the sharp pain. He managed to recover by landing his feet along the ceiling. The force of his landing caused cracks and shockwaves to appear around him.

'Damn that really hurt' Terra glanced at the Aura levels and was astounded to what he saw. That one single blow brought him all the way down to 45%. He then focused back to Nora ready to strike. He launched his feet from the ceiling with tremendous force. "Ars Solum!" he shouted, bathing his blade in golden light.

'This should even the odds a bit….I hope'

Terra landed, locking blades with Nora once again, now on a more equal footing. He launched a series of combos, unrelenting in his pursuit. He managed to get several hits in, bringing her aura to 68%. As Terra's Ars Solum was about to run out, he brought down his keyblade for one last hit. Instead of blocking, Nora leaped back. In midair she transformed Magnhild to grenade launcher form and opened its front panel, firing off a volley of grenades that soon formed a large pink heart.

It was too late for Terra to dodge, so he instinctively brought his right hand to his pauldron on his left shoulder. The volley of grenades made impact creating a small explosion and a wall of smoke.

Nora transformed Magnhild back to hammer form. She stood ready for whatever came next. The smoke was covering the area making it impossible to see either Terra or the Aura gauges. She had no idea how much damage she caused.

The students looked on in awe, they were just as anxious to see Terra, or what was left of him.

"Come on Terra, I know you can do it!" Ven shouted.

As the smoke cleared, a figure could be seen kneeling, holding their large blade into the ground. Their armor shined of red and gold plating, and a long flowing cape decorated their back.

The figure started to rise pulling its powerful blade from the ground.

A strange dark red energy enveloped his body.

Sora jumped up in excitement, sparkles in his eyes. "Ah man, he's going all Lingering Will, this is so cool!"

Ruby looked at him with a puzzled expression "I sorry…Whaaa…The loitering who?"

Sora laughed "No Ruby, The Lingering Will. You'll see, just watch"

Nora was just as mesmerized by the sight. "Whoaaa... fancy armor, I likey. Do you think I could have-"Before she could even finish Terra warped in front of her and softly whispered "Rage Awakened"

He then warped all around her, delivering powerful blows that were too fast and too powerful for her to dodge or escape. She took all of the damage from his assault. After landing several powerful blows, Terra reappeared in front of Nora, bringing his keyblade down overhead. But instead of striking her, he planted it straight into the ground, creating as small circle of light, which quickly shattered and sent Nora flying upward. Terra wouldn't end his assault, he leaped up and unleashed powerful air combos. After his last attack, Terra spun in the air and kicked off of Nora, landing safely on the ground.

Then a large flash of light enveloped his keyblade. In a moment's notice, it had changed considerably. He was now holding a large outstretched version of his Ends of the Earth. It looked like a massive mounted Turret, its front rotating, generating a powerful orb of destructive light.

"Ultima Cannon" Terra said before firing off the powerful orb towards Nora's falling body. The orb exploded upon contact, enveloping the entire amphitheater in its blast. When the blast subsided and the smoke cleared, the walls were torn apart, the students were now pitch black, as if caught in a red dust explosion. In the center of the stage stood Terra, now out of his armor, standing strong, and unharmed. Nora laid on the ground, exhausted from the fight.

"The match is over. The winner is Terra" Said Professor Goodwitch, seemingly fine being protected by a field of purple energy. Terra's Aura was still at 45% and Nora's was down completely to 0%. She then waved her riding crop caused the shattered and broken amphitheater to repair itself, good as new.

She then turned to Nora, was now on her feet "Miss Valkyrie, you fought admirably, but you must learn not to overestimate your opponent. Brute force alone will not win. You must exercise caution, strategize, and conceal your trump cards until absolutely necessary."

Terra turned to face Nora, about to thank her for the fight, but was stopped as she suddenly pounced on him, in a tight hug. "That was awesome! We have to fight again sometime!" She said with her usual bubbly personality. She then released a shocked Terra from her death grip.

Terra was completely dumfounded. "You're not sad that you lost the fight?" Terra questioned

Nora just grinned "Nah, it's not every day I find someone who can actually take a hit from Magnhild here" she said snuggling her hammer. "They usually end up in the hospital, but here you are, still standing" She finished.

Terra chuckled "Alright, I'll take you up on your offer. Whenever you think you can beat me just come and find me" He said with a mischievous smile.

"Oh your so on" Nora replied with a small fist bump.

The two fighters returned to their seats and were greeted by their friends.

Sora was laughing uncontrollably. He had a small wad of lien in his hand. Jaune sat next to him, crying in a comical way, Pyrrha patting his back.

Terra sat down next to Ven and Aqua. "Alright, Terra! That was awesome! You were unstoppable!" Ven said ecstatically. "Thanks, bud, she had had me on the ropes for a bit the-"terra said before being cut off by a red blur tugging on his arm. Terra looked down to see Ruby, sparkles in her eyes.

"Terra! Terra! Terra! That was so cool how you changed your keyblade into that awesome cannon thingy!" She squealed

"Oh, my Ultima Cannon? Yea that's just one of my keyblades transformations" Terra said plainly. This only got Ruby more excited. "Only one? You mean there's more? AHHHHH, show me! Show me! Show me!" Ruby demanded, the weapon junkie in her screaming out.

Ven smiled and laughed at the scene, but then turned his attention back to the stage, Professor Goodwitch speaking to the students.

"Settle down students, please be ready. The next match will begin soon" She said as she activated the randomizer on her scroll. The faces of Beacon's students flashed by the screen until it stopped on a certain girl that Ven had a not so fortunate encounter with.

"Weiss Schnee of Team RWBY" Goodwitch announced. "Yea go get em Princess!" Yang said, her fists pumped in the air. Weiss's face cringed a bit from being called princess, but quickly returned to her calm expression. She got up and began walking towards the stage with the upmost confidence.

"Man I feel bad for whoever has to fight her. She's no joke" Ven said lightly, enough for Aqua to hear.

"She's fighting one of us you know." Aqua said. "I know, it's just I'm gonna be rooting for her. We didn't exactly get off on the right foot" Ven said sheepishly.

Aqua had a mischievous smile on her face. She elbowed Ven and ruffled his hair. "Oooh, Ven's already trying to get the girls to like him. And not just any girl, an Heiress! Someone who's practically royalty. Oh Ven, your growing up so fast!" She said playfully.

Ven's face quickly flushed the color red at Aqua's teasing. "Shut up Aqua, it's not like that, I just want make some friends, is that so wrong?"

Aqua continued to tease him "Yea, some lady friends"

"Aqua…" Ven's shoulders slouched.

"I'm just playing with you, don't worry"

Ven turned his attention back to the stage "Go Weiss! Go give it your best!" Ven shouted cheering her on.

Weiss turned in his direction, shooting his an irritating look. Though she did give him a faint smile for the support.

The randomizer for the guardians stopped on a boy with sandy blonde hair

'Yes, Roxas was called, alright cheer her on Ven!' Ven thought to himself.

Ven stood up and shouted "kick his ass Weiss! He's got nothing on you!" He shouted happily

There was only silence, nobody was saying a word. Ven looked around to see everybody staring at him, holding back laughs.

Ven grew concerned "Why is everyone staring at me like that?" He asked Aqua

Aqua chuckled "Um…Ven… That wasn't Roxas who was called"

He just stared at her for several moments until realizing what she meant.

All he could say was simply "Huh?"

* * *

 **I am Aliiiiiiiiiivvvve!**

 **Sorry I just wanted to say that. I apologize for not updating in such a long time. I've been pretty busy at school and I also found myself getting caught up in a massive anime marathon for the past couple of weeks. Though that one is my fault.**

 **Anyway, hopefully this chapter was ok. It was actually the first time I wrote an action scene like this. Hopefully I did the characters justice. Ill continue to improve moving forward.**

 **Anyway the next chapter will be the match between Ven and Weiss. As if Ven could have a break dealing with Weiss. Talking to her didn't go too well, now he has to fight her!**

 **Next Chapter: White Wind**

 **Until Next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	6. Update!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant: Dawn's beginning**

Quick update!

So yea, I'm alive and well. Hopefully there's nobody out there getting pitchforks ready or in this case magical keys that could also turn into guns….huh….get it…because it's a RWBY/Kingdom Hearts crossover….no…never mind. Anyway I just want to let you all know that this story isn't dead, it's still very much alive. I wanted to continue but life gets in the way. College, work, you know the drill. But believe it or not this story has been on my mind practically every day since I wrote the last chapter. I think the problem with how I write is that I'm thinking maybe 5 or 6….no probably 12 steps ahead from where I really am. And that's a problem, considering I haven't even gotten past step one yet. I had this story going into crazy places that in my mind are hopefully just as crazy to the rest of you. I know my writing probably isn't the best, but then again, when is any writer ever truly satisfied with his or her work. Buts that's all part of the process, over time, I'll learn what works and what doesn't.

So starting now im aiming to get back on track with this story. I'm hoping to get out one chapter a week not too long, not too short. And if that doesn't work out than once every other week, because I really do want to get this story out there

So next chapter will be White Wind – the fight between the ever so cold Weiss and the ever so innocent Ven

These next several chapters will actually revolve around a single fight between various RWBY and Kingdom Hearts characters, im not sure on the order yet or if some will be cut but as of now I have planned….

Aqua vs Pyrrha

Ruby vs Kairi

Roxas vs Blake

Lea vs Yang

Riku vs team CFVY

After those we can finally get into the main storyline

Anyway, until next time!

InfiniteKingdom


	7. White Wind

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant: Dawn's beginning**

Chapter 6 – White Wind

"Soooo do you still want her kick your ass?" Aqua joked, holding back some laughter so she didn't make Ven feel too bad. Meanwhile, Ven was still in shock to see that he was going to be fighting Weiss. "Wha….Whataaa….no..I mean….god I'm a moron" Ven said with his head down

Soon the whole student body began laughing, even Weiss cracked a small laugh. Ven lifted his head and saw her amusement, slightly lifting his own spirits.

'Well I might as well have her laugh at me for being an idiot instead of having her angry at me for….being an idiot' Ven thought to himself

"Now now students, please excuse Ven's sudden outburst, perhaps if he had been paying more attention we would not be in this…windy situation" Goodwitch said with what almost sounded as amusement

Sora turned to Ruby and said "Did Goodwitch just try to make a joke?"

"At least she tried" Ruby laughed

Goodwitch cleared her throat, silencing all students in the room "Now Ven, please come to the platform to begin your match."

Ven mustered his strength and calmed himself. He then took his position on the platform across from Weiss and looked up to see that she had a very smug expression on her face.

They still had a minute to prepare themselves before the match started so Ven wanted to take the opportunity to clear the air a bit.

"Hey…." Ven said nervously

As soon as he opened his mouth, Weiss's expression turned sour. She looked away "What?" She said clearly agitated and still angry at Ven from earlier

"Uh…I just wanted to say sorry for earlier. I guess we got off on the wrong foot."

"That's putting it lightly" Weiss shot back

"I guess I was just really excited to meet you so I didn't think things through"

Weiss looked up, her expression softening a bit. "But why me?"

"Uh….It's complicated"

"Complicated? Why does it have to complicated? You know if you wanna make friends, you shouldn't hide things from them. And not too long ago we fought against a homicidal keyblade wielder hell-bent on recreating the world by opening up a giant blue heart, so complicated is kinda out of the picture"

Ven chuckled a bit "Yea you got me there"

Just then Goodwitch chimed in "Excuse me children, please get ready"

"Oh, sorry!" Ven apologized

Ven readied himself, summoning his Wayward Wind, and holding it in his signature reverse grip. He saw that Weiss was standing tall and composed, her Myrtenaster extending in front.

Ven smiled, and said "You know, I'm not going to hold back."

"I didn't expect you to, and I think you should be worried about yourself"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it's just like you said, you've got nothing on me."

Ven was slightly confused, but then his cheeks went red from embarrassment, remembering his earlier comment when he thought it was Roxas instead of him.

The bell rang signaling the beginning of the match

Weiss took a few moments, waiting for Ven to strike first.

'I can't be too impulsive with my strikes, if Sora's taught me anything, these keyblades can be extremely unpredictable and each has their own specialty. Sora has his forms, Rep his lightning, Terra his strength, and Namine…well that. I have no idea what makes him so special, but I won't let that stop me' Weiss thought to herself

"Come on, lets go!" Ven exclaimed excitedly as he sprinted forward swinging his keyblade across, delivering the first blows.

Weiss didn't have much time to think but she could clearly see what made him different 'He's fast….really fast' Weiss thought as she quickly raised her Myrtenaster to deflect Ven's speedy blows.

As soon as she saw an opening she lunged her rapier forward, only for Ven to easily side step it

"Haha too slow!" Ven teased

Weiss gritted her teeth in anger 'is he mocking me?' she thought

She unleashed several more strikes, all of which Ven simply sidestepped, leaving nothing but a blur

"Ooh almost that time!...Almost had me there!...Come on you gotta move faster than this!"

Weiss was quickly losing her temper, and began to attack more and more, all of which were simply avoided one way or another

Ven was just toying with her

After doing a backflip to avoid another one of her strikes, Ven decided to go back on the offensive a bit

"Here take this! Ars Arcanum!" This command bathed his keyblade in golden light and he began to unleash a combo of quick attacks upon Weiss

If he was like a blur before, Weiss didn't know what he was now. She couldn't even register his attacks, only managing to deflect a few out of luck. As Ven's combo ended, he could see that Weiss now had slashes up and down her body, her aura now at 85%

"Sorry, had to keep you on your toes princess!" Ven teased

Weiss's anger was now boiling over the edge at that last comment "Will you just shut up already!" she yelled as she pierced her rapier into the ground encasing the platform with a layer of ice.

Ven wasn't expecting this "Oh man should have brought my skates" Ven said with concern as he began to lose his balance. Weiss created a glyph beneath her, propelling her forward with great speed. Ven was too busy trying to regain his balance to successfully block her strike

Weiss would then create glyph after glyph propelling her in all directions, landing blow after blow to Ven.

Ven finally managed to compose himself, his aura now at 70%. He looked up to see Weiss backflip and then jump into the air

'God, is she not affected by this ice at all' Ven thought. Weiss, now in the air, created glyph at an angle, shooting forward landing another strike against Ven. Landing behind Ven, Weiss held her rapier in front of her, creating a glyph that resembled a clock, its hands spinning around in a speedy motion. As it disappeared, Weiss began sprinting toward Ven on the ice, her hand extended in front of her.

"Oh what is she doing now?!" Ven exclaimed. He then noticed several more glyphs that appeared all around him at once

"Damn it" Ven said lowly

Weiss jumped to each of her glyphs at incredible speeds, each time slicing through Ven, on her last glyph she attacked from directly above Ven, giving him enough time to retaliate

"Take this!" Ven yelled as he pointed his keyblade towards the descending Weiss "Faith!"

Just then several pillars of light surrounded Ven, and began to move outward, breaking up the ice as they moved. One of the pillars hit Weiss and sent her flying.

'Damn it where did that come from?!' Weiss thought as she recovered from the sudden attack 'I had him, damn it!' Weiss looked down and was surprised to see the condition of her clothes

Besides the many slash marks from earlier in the fight, her clothes were now singed from the intense heat of the light. She looked up to see Ven, now ready to attack

"Alright snow queen, now that your little skating rink is gone take this!" Ven pointed his blade toward Weiss "Tornado!"

Just then, a torrent of wind erupted from Ven's Blade, making its way toward Weiss

Weiss readied her rapier, switched its cartridge to wind dust, and replicated Ven's attack. The two torrents of Wind effectively cancelled each other out

As their attacks faded out, Ven began to charge with his blade at the ready. Ven brought down his blade, which was narrowly missed by Weiss as she flipped to the side. When she landed she made what seemed like a rising motion with her hand

"What the..." Ven managed to get out before he noticed the massive glyph underneath his feet. Before he could register it, the glyph detonated, sending him flying up into the air. Luckily he recovered midair with enough time to stop Weiss from taking advantage of his defenseless state.

"Oh Yea?! Take this! Tornado strike!" Ven yelled

"What?" Weiss was then picked up into the air as well by a series of whirlwinds, flipping her around as well as hitting her with debris left behind from her ice.

After a few seconds the two of them finally landed hard onto the platform

Meanwhile in the stands, the students were just enthralled by the fight.

"Wow that looked like it hurt. They're really going at it, aren't they?" Jaune said

"So it would seem." Pyrrha said with awe.

"Maybe the Ice queen will pull this off after all" Yang laughed

"I don't know about that Yang." Sora chimed in "Ven's not just fast on his feet but he can think of ways to out maneuver an opponent much faster than any of us. He hasn't even showed off his best stuff yet.

"His best stuff?" Ren questioned

"Yea!" Sora exclaimed excitedly "Ven has this command called Wing Blade where he can summon a bunch of swords that zip around him and stuff!" Sora said as he made chopping motions with his arms

Both Teams RWBY and JNPR shared a small laugh at Sora's foolishness

Back in the fight, both contestants brushed themselves off and prepared themselves for more

"All right! Its time I take this fight into my own hands!" Ven exclaimed

"Here it comes" Sora said fanboying over the potential Wing Blade action

Weiss stood ready with her rapier by her side. "I like what you did earlier with the time dilation glyph, pretty awesome stuff, but two can play at that game" Ven said

Ven began running towards Weiss, ready to finish this fight once and for all. Weiss readied herself, preparing for whatever attack Ven would unleash.

He was only inches away when he activated his attack.

"Time Splicer" Ven said calmly

"What, what is this?! I can't move!" Weiss said in shock

Ven quickly disappeared and reappeared all around the now immobilized Weiss, each time unleashing a volley of deadly strikes, leaving behind an afterimage of his attacks

"Whoaaa, he's so fast" Jaune awed in astonishment

Once his attack was finished, Weiss was suddenly thrown back by what seemed to be an invisible force, all of Ven's attacks catching up with her

"Take This" Ven said, confidence radiating off him "Salvation!"

Suddenly, Pillars of light, similar to Ven's Faith attack, materialized. The only difference being this time they all concentrated directly around Ven

The beams of light struck Weiss, burning up what little aura she had left. When they dissipated Weiss began to fall to the ground

But before she landed she looked up to see that Ven was lining up another attack

"Aaaand Strike Raid!" Ven chirped as he threw his keyblade horizontally, striking Weiss directly in the head. After that last attack Weiss landed hard on the platform and the bell rang, signaling the end of the match.

"The match is finished, Ven is the winner" Professor Goodwitch said plainly.

"Boooooooo, come on, no Wing Blade?!" Sora shouted from the stands

Ven simply smiled and shrugged, "Sorry buddy, maybe next time" Ven turned to see Weiss still on the ground, not getting up

He decided to walk over and help her up "Hey, that was an awesome fight, you were-"Ven stopped as Weiss turned revealing a stream of blood running down her face. Ven felt like an idiot, his Salvation attack drained what Aura she had left, leaving her defenseless against the Strike Raid.

She felt the full force of his last attack

"Weiss, oh my god, I'm so sorry! Let me heal you up-"Ven got out before being cut off.

"Get away from me!" Weiss slapped his hand away, got up and stormed out of the amphitheater.

Ven turned to his friends in the stands. He could see that they all showed great concern for Weiss after that hit. Ven turned to see Aqua looking at him, mouthing the words "Go after her", which is exactly what he did.

After leaving the amphitheater, Ven was relieved to see that she hadn't gotten too far, only down the hall. Ven used his speed to catch up in seconds, standing in front of her.

"Ahh! Will you just leave me alone already?" Weiss shrieked

"Wait, just wait. Please. If you want to be angry with me, that's fine, but can you please be angry without a potential head injury?" Ven pleaded

Weiss took a moment but then turned her head "Fine get on with it" she said irritated.

Ven stepped up and started to apply his healing magic directly to Weiss's head. "You know, I'm really sorry about the fight, I didn't mean to hurt you" Ven apologized

In a surprising turn of events Weiss admitted "It's not the fight I'm angry about"

After finishing applying his cure spell, Ven was surprised to hear that "What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm angry at people like you" Weiss said as she narrowed her eyes towards Ven

"People like me?"

"People who've done nothing to earn this kind of strength. I've trained most of my life to get where I am today. I had the best training and education that money could buy and yet, people like Sora, people like YOU just show up out the blue with none of that. And yet, they far exceed me in every way. They're talented, strong, and loved. Its….its…its just not fair"

Ven could clearly see that Weiss was frustrated and was feeling inferior now that all of the Guardians showed up, each with their own unique and incredible talents. Talents and abilities that could dwarf a Huntsman's.

It was a feeling that Ven knew all too well

Back before everything that happened with Vanitas and Master Xehanort, Ven would occasionally feel like he didn't have a place among Terra and Aqua. Ven idolized them and would sometimes feel like he couldn't even compare to them. They were simply on a level that he couldn't attain.

Despite understanding this, Ven still felt hurt from Weiss's feelings.

Ven's head fell "You don't even know me…you just assume that I haven't had my own struggles….but you really have no idea…" Ven trailed off

Weiss was still darting her eyes at Ven, at least, until he spoke again

"Years ago, I studied under Master Xehanort as his pupil…."

Weiss's eyes widened, she never even considered the possibility

'That's impossible, he trained under Xehanort, but…he…' Weiss thought before being cut off

He used me, manipulated me, and tried to turn me into some kind of weapon. And when he was done using me, he…he… just..." Small tears were starting to form in Ven's eyes. "He took away my home, hurt my friends, and when everything was all said and done….I was just…alone" Ven struggled to get out those last words

Weiss's expression softened "What do you mean?"

Ven took a few moments, wiped his eyes, and said "Never mind….I think I'm just tired. I'm gonna go crash for the night…maybe I'll see you tomorrow" he said as he began to walk away

"Ven, wait….I…" Weiss pleaded but Ven simply kept on walking "I'm sorry" She said quietly as she turned back into the amphitheater.

Upon entering she was greeted by Aqua, who had a face full of concern

"Hey you ok, you took a pretty bad hit back there" She looked behind Weiss to see if Ven was there "Where'd Ven go?" Aqua questioned

Weiss took a moment to think of an answer "He….said that he was tired, the fight took a lot out of him. He went back to his room" Weiss said giving a weak smile

"Oh ok, ill check up on him in a little bit to see how he is"

Weiss could see Aqua cared about Ven a lot, and maybe she could tell her more about Ven's past. She needed to know more.

"Hey Aqua…" Weiss said before being cut off from Goodwitch beginning the process for the next fight

"Come on, let's get back inside, the next fights coming up" Aqua said with a warm smile

"Uh…yea…ok...right behind you" Weiss said weakly

Weiss took her seat next to Ruby. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Sora leaned over

"Hey where'd Ven run off to?" Sora asked

Weiss looked to Sora with a weak smile, not giving him the irritated expression she usually gives him "He said he was tired and decided to go to bed early"

Sora pondered the answer for a moment but then shrugged and said in his usual upbeat voice "Well ok, his loss, he's gonna miss the fight"

Before Weiss could turn away, Sora spoke up again "Hey, are you ok, you seem a bit off"

Weiss didn't have the willpower to be angry at Sora for showing her pity, but for once she was actually glad to have Sora around

"Yea I'm fine. Guess I'm a little tired too" Weiss wasn't too sure she believed the sound of her own voice, but luckily it was enough to trick Sora

"Well ok, but if you want to go crash early I won't stop you, ill fill you in on the fights in the morning, ok?" He said with a cheeky grin

Weiss gave a stronger smile this time and turned back, facing the platform, waiting for the next fight.

Sora looked to see that the randomizer was now slowing down, the fighter representing the Guardians revealed first.

"From the Guardians…..Kairi, will you please come up to the platform"

Kairi breathed deeply, preparing herself "Alright here I go, you think I can do this Sora?" She turned to confide in her best friend

"Yea, of course, just go out there and give it your all, you'll be fine" Sora said while supporting placing his hand atop her shoulder.

Kairi's smile lit up. She reached over Sora and placed her hand tenderly atop his. Ruby noticed the sudden gesture and puffed her cheeks, not entirely enjoying the sight.

Kairi got up and started walking down "All right, wish me luck!" she said happily

"You got it!" Sora said, giving an enthusiastic thumbs up

The randomizer slowed down to a crawl revealing a familiar red hooded girl.

"And her opponent will be Ruby Rose" Goodwitch boomed

Sora's mouth dropped and he turned to Ruby, who now had an innocent smile on her face

"Soooo…you gonna wish me good luck?"

* * *

 **So here is the new chapter, as promised. A bit earlier than expected, but still. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the fight between Ven and Weiss. It was kind of hard to write this fight to be honest, so hopefully it was alright. And if you ask why I didn't have Ven use his Wing blade im saving that as a surprise for the characters to see later on. I had a lot more fun just having these two characters interact!**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will be the fight between Kairi and Ruby. Sora is gonna be in a bit of an awkward situation in this one. hi jinks will ensue, yadayada**

 **As for the other fights I had planned previously im not sure but I might cut some of them out. I really want to get to the actual main** **story line, so after the fight between Ruby and Kairi, i'll probably just do one more. Not sure which one but ill figure it out.**

 **Next chapter: Battle of the heart**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	8. Battle of the heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 7 – Battle of the heart

"Oh….um…good luck?" Sora said with a nervous grin.

"That's it? No kiss or a high five at least?" Sora slowly raised his hand, as if asking permission. Ruby sighed and conceded, giving him a quick high five.

"You know, you're lucky I like you" Ruby said with a small laugh as she began to walk away. But before she could make it anywhere Sora had an idea

"Ruby wait!" He yelled, quickly grabbing her attention. Ruby turned back, a puzzled look on her face. Sora then got close to her face, directly next to her ear, and began to whisper something. Some of their friends tried listening to what he was saying, but could only hear inaudible phrases. When he pulled away, he spoke more clearly "...Ok, got it? Now go get her" He said with a warm smile and quick kiss on the cheek.

Ruby now had a satisfied smile on her face "Thanks, that was a much better sendoff" She said happily as she turned back, walking towards the platform.

When Sora sat down, Yang leaned in, with her usual teasing manner "sooo, what did you tell her, little love bird?"

Sora shook his head "Nope, can't tell you it's a secret.

Now onto the platform, Ruby stood opposite Kairi. Kairi had her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, ready by her side. Ruby took out her signature weapon, Crescent Rose, and began its transformation. Ruby held the fully extended scythe by her side, loading a new cartridge into it.

"You ready for this?" Ruby said, a confident grin across her face. "Oh you know it, I was taught by some of the best" Kairi said, equally as confident.

"Oh, really?" Ruby questioned. "Yep, isn't that right, Sora?" She said calling out to the boy in question.

"Sora? But I thought you were trained by Yen Sid and Riku?" Ruby said, still a little caught off guard from Kairi's revelation. Kairi nodded her head in response. "That's true, but Sora also taught me some of his moves as well" Kairi said innocently

"Some of his moves?!" Ruby's voice rose in anger, before she turned to look at Sora in the stands. Sora, who thought this situation couldn't get any worse, began to curse at his own luck.

"Dammit, why did she have to involve me?" Sora stood up "Yea, I mean, I taught her whatever I could, but it was my first time doing that stuff, so I'm not sure how I was."

"You did great" Kairi said gratefully

Sora could see ruby wasn't happy so he just sat down without a word.

"Hey Sora, what did you mean by your first time doing that stuff?" Yang questioned

"Oh…teaching somebody moves with the keyblade, why?

"Oh…" Yang began to laugh a little "…nothing, just take a moment on what you said"

Sora thought to himself what was wrong, but before long his cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, realizing the misinterpretation.

"Oh no,no,no…I didn't…god that sounded better in my head."

Kairi wasn't usually a jealous person but right now all she wanted to do was show Sora that she could do anything Ruby can and better.

As soon as the bell went off, Kairi didn't take any time, and charged straight ahead. She locked her blade with Ruby's scythe. Despite being trained by both Master Yen Sid and Riku, Kairi knew her limits. She was nowhere near as combat oriented as the rest of the Guardians. Her magic is where she excels best, and as a Princess of Heart, she bears a strong affinity with light magic

'The best course of action is to keep Ruby off her feet and close by. Don't give her the opportunity to retaliate' Kairi thought to herself.

As Kairi continued to lock blades with ruby she quickly noticed something. 'She's a lot stronger than she looks' Kairi thought, gritting her teeth as she was being pushed back. 'No wonder she can move that scythe like that'

Caught in her thoughts, Kairi didn't react in time to stop Ruby from breaking through her guard.

Ruby spun Crescent Rose several times, striking Kairi with incredible precision. Before taking any more hits, Kairi found enough time to get a spell in. "Reflega!" she shouted, summoning a small dome of light around her.

Ruby was moving too fast to pull her attack back, bringing it down onto the dome, shattering it upon impact, and pushing her back a bit from the force.

After recovering, Ruby readied her scythe, preparing to fire off a few rounds. Unfortunately, she was pulled out of the moment by the sudden voice of someone she knew all too well

"That's right Kairi, now get behind her, she'll be too busy swinging her scythe in front of her that she'll leave her backside wide open!"

No he wasn't. He was seriously not doing this right now. "Sora?! What are you doing?" Ruby yelled

"Oh…Sorry…"Sora said with a nervous grin.

After turning back to Kairi, Ruby noticed that she seemingly disappeared.

"What…where did she go?"

"Magic hour!"

Ruby looked up to see Kairi midair, coming straight down, and a trail of light directly following her.

Ruby dived to her left, narrowly avoiding Kairi's attack.

Just as Ruby thought Kairi was done, she disappeared again, reappearing directly above Ruby, repeating the same attack several more times, and each time missing Ruby.

When her assault was done, Kairi appeared several feet away from Ruby and prepared to fire off some more magic.

"Triple Firaga!" She chanted, firing off three projectiles from the tip of her blade.

Ruby used her speed semblance to dash back and forth, avoiding the fireballs with ease.

"That's right Ruby! Keep on making her use magic and tire herself out! Then all you need to do is…" Sora shouted.

"Sora! Who's side are you on?!" Kairi shouted back

Sora still had a nervous grin on his face "Man, I just can't win today can I?"

"Feeling a little trapped in the corner there buddy?" Riku laughed

"A little!?"

Ruby dashed all around avoiding more and more bursts of magic energy from Kairi, getting closer with each attack

Frustrated, Kairi decided to go with a new attack "Grr…Faith!" Using one of her more powerful forms of light magic.

"She can cast that spell too. Incredible…" Weiss noted.

"Yea, but it's easier for her to cast it since she's one of princesses." Sora said plainly

"Princess!?" Teams RWBY and JNPR practically shouted in unison.

Sora had a face of confusion, not exactly sure what was so surprising

"Yea, you know, the Princesses of Heart I told you about"

Both teams shook their head

"Ohhh, that's right I must have skipped that part…" Sora said scratching the back of his head. He forgot that he never told them about the princesses, that way he could avoid the part about him stabbing himself to free Kairi's.

"Well, to put it simply, the Princesses of Heart are seven beings across all the worlds whose hearts are completely devoid of any darkness. They each have mysterious but incredible light powers that they can use, but Kairi's the only one of them that been trained in its use.

"That sounds completely ridiculous." Weiss retorted

Sora shrugged his shoulders "Hey I didn't make up this story, I'm just telling you the truth."

Back in the fight, pillars of light materialized across the arena, each making their way outward.

'This is it' Ruby thought to herself. As their first pillar approached her, Ruby used her speed to dash next to another pillar, and again to the next pillar, each time getting closer as the pillars materialized.

"What is she doing?" Kairi wondered

'Now's my chance!'

Now within range, Ruby came alongside a pillar of light and swung her scythe through its side, gathering its energy, and creating what looked like an arc of light sent crashing in Kairi's direction.

Kairi's eyes widened in shock "That's not possible" She said before being struck with the arc of light generated from her own attack. Its intense light burned into Kairi.

After the pillars disappeared and the dust settled, Ruby was sure she had won. But out from the smoke emerged what looked like a blur of white light. And it was moving fast. Kairi had somehow enveloped herself in a stream of light.

Instead of getting out of the way Ruby decided to take it head on and used her Semblance to match its speed. The two blurs were now clashing constantly, their movements impossible to make out.

From the stands it was looking less like a fight between two warriors and more of a fight you'd see on some Saturday morning cartoon. Sora swore he could see moments when they were pulling on each other's hair or clothes, but maybe he's just had enough of this fight and he really didn't know who to root for.

"What am I even looking at right now?" Jaune asked.

"Well this is another one of Kairi's light magic. She learned it not long after Xehanort. She essentially wraps her body in light and can use it to propel her at incredible speeds. She can even run up walls and stuff"

"What's this attack called" Ren inquired

"Well we don't really have a name for it yet. Kairi just kind of….does it" Sora said shrugging his shoulders. "Just like how Ruby can use her semblance to move fast, Kairi can use this to the same effect.

The two blurs continued to clash for several more minutes, drawing to a complete stop after one final direct collision, creating a small blast of red and white.

When the blast dispersed, Kairi could be seen on the ground, breathing heavy. Ruby stood opposite of her, Crescent Rose planted into the ground as support.

The bell rang, followed by Professor Goodwitch's declaration. "The match is finished, Ms. Rose is the winner"

Everyone couldn't believe it. Ruby won. She managed to beat one of the Guardians all by herself. Nothing could make this moment more surreal than….

"Yea you did it baby sis! Bringing one home for the team!" Yang happily cheered.

Ruby laughed and brushed it off. She began to walk over to Kairi, who was now getting back on her feet.

'Oh god, please don't be angry at each other, please don't be angry with each other' Sora pleaded to himself.

When she stood directly in front of her, Ruby looked on at Kairi for moment before extending her hand. "That was awesome, you were great out there" Ruby said with a wide smile

'She really is strong' Kairi thought in admiration 'You better take care of her Sora' Kairi took Ruby's hand, a wide smile in return "Yea you too, you know you're really fast even when you're not trying, and how do you move that scythe?!" Kairi praised

Ruby blushed slightly and held both of her hands up to her chest in embarrassment "Oh stop it asdfhgh shut your little stupid face…" Ruby trailed off and continued her flustered babbling for another minute or so.

Sora took a huge breath of relief seeing that they were actually getting along.

Goodwitch began to speak again preparing for next match. "Alright the next match will begin shortly stud-"She trailed off as she noticed Ozpin tapping his watch

Goodwitch than began to continue "I'm sorry children, it would seem there is a change of plans. Unfortunately the amphitheater is reserved for another group shortly. The "Church is my best friend…and if anybody asks Tucker did it" group holds the amphitheater for the remainder of the night"

"What kind of ridiculous group is that?" Weiss demanded

In the distance someone yelled "Goddammit Caboose!"

"Anyway students, I would recommend that you get enough rest tonight so you can get up bright and early. Use your time efficiently in preparation for the tournament this Monday. You are dismissed.

The students went their separate ways. Teams RWBY and JNPR walked together back to their dorms with the Guardians. Ruby walked alongside Sora, holding his hand along the way.

"Hey" Ruby whispered

"Yea" Sora answered back

"Thanks for that advice you gave me before the match, you know about sending a wave of Kairi's light back at her"

Sora gave a wide grin "Yea I thought that would help, it did a real number on her"

Ruby took a deep breath "Its been a good day hasn't it?" Ruby asked, giving Sora a warm smile.

"Yea, it really has"

The 18 young warriors conversed and laughed on the way back to their dorm rooms, unaware of the tragedies to come.

When Ruby and Sora got to the latter's room, they gave each other a quick kiss goodnight and went their separate ways.

Sora took off his shoes and got ready for bed.

Little did he know that his dreams would be haunted by memories of his past.

Or were they his future?

Were they even dreams at all?

Or were they something more?

All he knew for certain was that before he had fallen asleep, a name was stirring around his head.

He had never heard this name before, but for some reason he felt it had some strong significance to him, clinging to his heart.

…..

It was unknown yet so familiar

…..

...

It filled his heart with happiness yet sorrow

…..

...

...

The same name, over and over again

…..

…..

…..

...

Summer Rose.

* * *

 **Another chapter out once again! Don't expect this every time guys. Im only one guy.**

 **So yea Ruby won her fight against Kairi. While I do think that Kairi is powerful I dont think is as good of a fighter as the others, while Ruby is an excellent fighter. And yea Kairi has her magic but Ruby has her speed, so she easily avoid whatever Kairi threw at her.**

 **I even gave Kairi a speed power, I imagined that part of the fight to look something like the moment in the One Punch Man fight between Boros and Saitama when they start clashing and all it looks like is two streams of light constantly hitting each other really fast.**

 **While I was writing this chapter I thought to myself would I rather write another one of these fight chapters after this or would I rather get on with the main story. I chose the latter. I even included a little RvB reference.**

 **Also you may notice that I removed the tagline to this story, Dawn's beginning. I originally planned on having this story be the first part of many but ive instead decided to just have all those stories under one as arcs of the overall plot**

 **Next chapter will be primarily focused on these dreams that Sora is having and what kind of connection he has to Summer**

 **Next Chapter: Summer's End**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	9. Summer's End

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 8 – Summer's End

Sora began to toss and turn.

His dreams were haunted by a blur of sights and sounds.

Some new but most foreign to him. Everything was going too fast for him to process it all

A hill overlooking a Cliffside, a single grave laid on its edge, rose petals flowing in the wind.

"Summer Rose"

….

Ozpin's tower flashing between its pristine state and a more decrepit, abandoned one

Sora could hear more voices in the distance

"What do you know of the Keyblade War?"

"While the maidens have existed on Remnant for thousands of years, both their history and yours are more connected than you think"

Ozpin? What's he talking about? The Keyblade War? What's a Maiden? Sora thought

…..

The scene shifted, revealing a dark hallway, green torches marking its exterior. At its end a machine. A woman slowly breathing in what looked like a capsule

Suddenly a voice Sora knew came over him

"Its…strange…she almost feels like a…"

"Aqua! What's Aqua doing here?" Sora wondered

…..

The scene shifted again revealing what looked like an abandoned facility, destroyed in some kind of attack.

Its front sign was still standing, albeit torn apart a bit.

"Merlot labs, huh" Sora read aloud. He walked slowly toward its entrance, passing by destroyed vehicles and the corpses of what looked to be some of its staff.

Before entering the facility Sora heard it again. That name from before.

"Summer Rose"

Sora quickly turned around to see where the voice was coming from, but saw nothing but darkness. As he turned to face the facility he noticed that he now found himself within the facility.

"How? How did I get in here?"

Another voice boomed. One that he didn't recognize. Sora looked up to see a man, fairly built, wearing what looked to be a tan cloak and a dark grey bear mask, covering the top of his face

"What's going on? Who are you?!" Sora called out, not really expecting an answer. But to his shock he received one.

"It doesn't who I am, but I suppose for now you can call me….Aced…yes that was it…" Aced said, almost not entirely sure himself. "But that's not important. What's important here is you…Sora."

Before he could respond, Sora noticed something moving in the shadows. Fearing the worst, Sora readied his keyblade. Suddenly dark humanoid figures began appearing around Sora

"Heartless" Sora thought "Wait…not Heartless…What are these things?"

Sora was left defenseless when suddenly his Keyblade disappeared on him

"No!" The creatures than began to pounce towards Sora.

All he could do was cover his eyes, waiting for the end. But it never came. When Sora opened his eyes he saw now that he was being held up by his throat by another man. A yellow cloaked man, shorter than Aced but he also wore a mask. A white leopard. Aced stood behind him, his weapon by his side

Sora eyes widened in horror "He has a keyblade!" It was a large brown blade, ultimately shaped like a claw. A symbol of a bear could be seen on its hilt. Blood was dripping off its blade.

Sora's blood

Sora looked down and saw his battered and beaten body dangling by this White Leopard man's mercy. The man than summoned a keyblade of his own. Its guard resembled a golden bolt of lightning. The base of the blade had an etching of a green-eyed leopard, and the shaft is formed from a golden, spiked blade.

Sora could only scream in pain as the man ran him straight through with his blade.

It was all a dream, but it felt so real.

Sora, in a half state of consciousness, saw the man open a portal directly under him. Aced spoke up, his low voice devoid of emotion

"Where are you sending him, Gula?"

"Ohhh I know just the spot" Gula said, a wide grin sprawled across his face

Then Sora felt his body drop

He fazed in and out, now seeing he was somewhere completely different

He was still falling, but he could see the hole in the sky he came out of, Gula leaning in and waving goodbye

Around him were people. People everywhere. He was falling directly into Amity Coliseum.

Upon impact, Sora suddenly found himself away the blast. He looked all over his body for injuries but found that there were none.

He looked up to see Team RWBY slowly approaching the impact, alongside what looked like a man holding a trumpet and a girl with roller skates.

It was like his greatest fears suddenly came to life as he saw rising from the crash, a figure covered in shadows. A shadow with bright golden eyes and…spiky hair.

"Nooo!" Sora yelled as he began to run toward them tripping along the way "Get away from him!"

But before he could get close, the scene seemed to fade away, the only thing he could hear in the distance was those words again

"Summer Rose"

…..

When Sora could see again, he was in what looked like a hospital room. Teams RWBY, JNPR, and the Guardians surrounded the bed, obscuring Sora's Vision. He could hear some of them crying over whoever this person was.

Sora couldn't make out who it was, but he did notice something.

Ruby was missing and he could see Yang crying

Sora could feel tears swelling up in his eyes as the scene changed once again.

…..

He now found himself back in Amity coliseum

This time a single platform dominated the center. Sora could see Evan Suruat on the ground, clutching his leg in pain.

A small group of Atlesian knights surrounded a single Perpetrator. Her long blond hair as still as her breath.

Everyone suddenly faded away, being replaced by what seemed to be a girl torn apart. Circuits sparking from her body. A girl in red kneeling down, holding her hand, tears slowly falling to the ground.

Sora could hear the muffled voice of the broken girl as she slowly faded away

"You're….my….friend….right…"

The scene then shifted, reveling a seemingly destroyed Beacon, Grimm running amongst the school, and people running in fear. Sora suddenly heard the pained scream of a girl, and proceeded to run in its direction.

Upon arrival Sora could see several individuals. He saw Blake covering what looked like Yang, motionless on the ground. A man with red hair shaking blood off the tip of his longsword. A corridor of light opening up, and out of it emerged a man wearing a white cloak and a golden unicorn mask.

"Adam, that's enough"

Adam gritted his teeth begrudgingly. "This isn't your business, brother"

"No it isn't, but we have more pressing matters on our hands" he said looking up

Suddenly a bolt of lightning came down directly in front of Blake and Yang. Out of it emerged Rep and Namine, their keyblades ready.

The scene began to change again, now atop of Ozpin's tower

Pyrrha could be seen on her knees, her chin being held by a woman in a black cloak

Pyrrha looked up defiantly and asked "Do you believe in destiny?"

Just as fast as he had gotten there, everything suddenly went white

"Summer Rose" could be heard in the distance

Several more scenes than began to flash in rapid succession

Sora now stood in the middle of what looked like a camp, dozens of White Fang soldiers laid motionless

"I'm sorry it had to end this way Blake, you know I can't forgive them for what they've done"

"I may be your darkness, but that doesn't necessarily make me evil. I'm just an asshole. What just happened, that's on you."

Who were these people? Sora kept asking himself

Sora then found himself in what looked like a prison, three individuals in black coats slowly making their way to its entrance.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?! You both... think you can do whatever you want. Well, I'm sick of it. Go on, you just keep running. But I'll always be there to bring you back!"

Images of people and places began to move so fast Sora couldn't follow it anymore

War torn cities, refugee camps, and armies of Grimm were just the tip of it.

He saw a woman controlling the Grimm.

He saw a door made of light, six beings each bearing a keyblade, a different animal to represent them, their rise, and ultimately their demise.

"You're telling me that you think the world can be saved by just seven people?"

"We have to at least try"

"Trust no one but myself"

"….Which will lead to the Keyblade War"

"But we don't even know who the traitor is yet!"

"Didn't you think for a second, that your actions could be making things worse than they already are?"

"Guess you better get started then. Unfortunately you'll have to go alone from here on out"

"What about the others?"

Sora now found himself surrounded by bodies. Each riddled with arrows, swords, lances, and just about every weapon you could imagine. Every time he closed his eyes and reopened them, more and more bodies piled up.

Sora looked on in horror at the scene. He fell to his knees, looking on to the horizon. He was surrounded in a pool of blood.

"Who did all this? How could someone do something like this? Did….did I do this?"

Sora closed his eyes hoping to wake up from this nightmare. Afraid of what might happen if he didn't.

"I will no longer be his slave. Don't you see? Everything he has done has led to this point?"

A man impaled upon his own weapon

"How can you look down at us like we're nothing? You just stand there, do you not feel any shame at all? I will never forgive you, you inhuman monster. You've ruined the honor of a knight! Let my blood taint your dreams forever! And when you fall into the searing pits of hell, you will remember me!"

A man making his final charge

"Glory lies beyond the horizon. Challenge the unobtainable! Speak of conquest, and make it real! For my men, and for those who watch behind me!"

A knight kneeling over their fallen comrade

"It was not I…who should've been king"

The same name again, and again

"Summer Rose"

When Sora opened his eyes, everything was white once again

A single being knelt in front of him, their body obscured by light

"Did you not understand? All dreams eventually disappear when the dreamers wake" it said with a wide grin

"What…who…who are you?" Sora weakly asked, still on his knees

This being simply continued to smile and said "I am the truth of your despair"

Suddenly the being disappeared and reality began to materialize once more.

Sora looked around. He was in somebody's room. Two separate beds laid against the walls, one red and one yellow. Sora looked down to see that he was holding books. Books of King Arthur and Alexander the Great.

And suddenly Sora heard his own voice speaking. "A Hero of justice huh? I could be that you know"

Sora turned and saw himself standing there. No. Not himself. The person who stood in front of him had black spiky hair and amber eyes.

"Come on, its time" the boy said with a smile while extending his hand

Sora couldn't help but smile back. It just felt…right. Sora looked back down at the books and then back up, seeing a mirror bearing his reflection.

Except it wasn't him in the mirror. In front of him now stood a man with short white hair, gray eyes and tanned skin. He wore a black body armor with silver accents, black pants, and black metal plated boots. Over his torso he wore a red cloak. He simply stared back, replicating Sora's movements as if they were his own.

Sora didn't know what to feel anymore

Admiration?

Fear?

Regret?

Whatever it was, something about this man made Sora feel as though his heart was going to shatter.

The sudden plea for help pulled Sora out of his thoughts.

Sora ran out the door and found himself at the edge of a forest. In the distance he could see a small village, smoke rising and Grimm running through the streets.

He kept running through the streets, cutting down any Grimm that got in his way. Sora searched for any sign of life, but could only see death.

"Gahhh! Please! Somebody help me!" the voice a small girl rung out.

Sora turned a street corner to see several Beowolves surrounding a small house. Its walls crumbling, and little cover available, a small girl could be seen cowering behind a makeshift wall.

"Get away from her!" Sora demanded.

The Grimm seem to notice his presence, and began to move towards him.

Sora readied his Keyblade, tearing apart the Grimm one by one, not letting them a chance to get away.

When the Grimm were cleared out, Sora made his way to the broken house.

He could still see the girl cowering in fear, unsure if the monsters were gone.

"Poor thing" Sora said, pitying the girl. She couldn't be any older than six.

"Hey" Sora said, trying to calm the girl "Hey, it's alright the monsters are all gone.

The girl slowly came out of her cover, wiping the tears from her eyes. She wore a simple plain black dress. She had black hair with red highlights and silver eyes

"Are they really gone?" She asked, looking around

"Yep I'm sure of it, but don't worry, I'm gonna get you somewhere safe. Where are your parents?"

The girl began to cry harder now. She pointed behind her to what looked like a torn apart kitchen. Two people could be seen on the ground, their bodies torn apart and blood across the walls.

Sora knelt down and gently held the girl's hands. "Ok, ok, don't worry I'm gonna get you someplace safe. What's your name?" Sora said with a warm smile.

The girl sniffled a bit, trying to hold back any more tears. "….Summer…" she said shyly

Sora ruffled Summer's hair a bit "Nice to meet you, Summer"

Sora's vision suddenly became blurry, everything filling with static.

And everything went dark.

* * *

Sora suddenly shot up out of his bed, sweating and breathing heavily.

"It was…just a dream?" He asked aloud. His mind was a mess right now. Sora couldn't think straight.

Sora was startled when he heard a knock at his door.

He approached the door slowly, afraid of what might be on the other side

As he opened the door, Sora was relieved to see a familiar girl with short black hair and red highlights

"Ruby! Hey, what up?"

Ruby seemed a little confused by the question. "Nothing really, but…are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Just had a bad dream is all…I can't really remember. Why?"

"Because you were screaming"

Sora had no idea it was that bad "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you, I don't know what happened"

Sora scratched his head, desperately trying to remember the things he saw and heard in his dream. Unfortunately he fell flat.

But there was one thing he remembered.

"Hey Ruby? This may seem like a strange question, but do you know anyone named Summer Rose?"

Ruby's expression seemed to falter a bit at the name "Yea, she's my mom"

'Her mom!' Sora never met her mother, let alone heard of her. "How come you never talk about her?" Sora asked

"She…she passed away when I was only a kid."

Sora was caught back a bit "I'm sorry, I had no idea"

Suddenly Ruby's smile returned "It's okay! You don't have to apologize"

"But…I…" Sora was cut off by Ruby. "How about you get some sleep. I promise I'll tell you more about her in the morning. I want to take you somewhere, ok?"

"Uh…yea…ok…goodnight"

Sora closed his door and proceeded to return to bed. He fell asleep peacefully, this time dreaming about chasing Phil around Olympus Coliseum, begging to be official heroes finally.

When Sora woke in the morning, he felt like he had been rejuvenated. As he left his room he noticed a speedy red blur quickly coming his way

"ComeonletsgoSora!" Ruby said with incredible speed. Sora suddenly found his hand was snatched by this blur. As fast as he had been taken, everything quickly came to a standstill.

Sora was now seemingly aboard one of the shuttles that frequently operates around Beacon's docks.

"Wha…how….when…." Sora mumbled, confused of what was going on.

Ruby was sitting next to him, still holding his hand, and gazing out the window.

"Hey Ruby…what's going on? Where are we going?"

"Patch" she said happily

"Patch? You mean your hometown? Why are we going there?"

Ruby turned to Sora "I told you that I wanted to take you somewhere last night, remember?"

Shouldn't you be back at Beacon training for the tournament?"

"We won't be long, don't worry"

"Oh…ok…But where are we going in Patch?"

"It's a surprise! I'll tell you when we get there!" She said, clearly excited

Sora and Ruby sat there silently for the remainder of the trip, simply enjoying the others company and gazing out across the morning sky.

Some of the other passengers seemed to recognize Sora. He could hear whispers of people calling him a hero among other things

"Isnt that the leader of the Guardians?

"That's the boy who defeated that Xehanort fella a few months back"

It seemed like he developed some sort of following since his arrival on Remnant six months back.

As the shuttle landed, Ruby speedily dragged Sora out and in the open, albeit not moving as fast as before.

After a few minutes of walking, Ruby brought Sora to the edge of the surrounding forest area, a path laid out, and its destination leading somewhere into the forest.

Before entering, Sora gave one last look back at the village behind them. This was where both Ruby and Yang grew up. It was quiet and kind of nice.

But something on the back of Sora's mind was bothering him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been here before.

Sora and Ruby entered the forest and began to walk along the path. Sora was awestruck at the beauty of this area. Trees were perfectly lined up along the path, their red and golden fall leaves shimmering in the wind.

It was all so peaceful

But the next sight was what truly caught Sora's attention. Both he and Ruby now found themselves on the other side of the forest in a small clearing.

Then he saw it.

A hill overlooking a Cliffside, a single grave laid on its edge, rose petals flowing in the wind.

Ruby let go of Sora's hand and slowly approached the grave.

"Hey mom" She said with a small smile

"Sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been…Things have been pretty busy. Oh! Dad will be here soon as well. He's you know…Dad" Ruby gave a small shrug

"He's still teaching at Signal, but he told me he's going to be going out on some missions soon. I think he misses adventuring with you. I miss you too" Ruby added, her voice lower as she finished

Seemingly more cheerful, Ruby continued "Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang helps. I keep her in line"

Sora gave a small laugh "That was a joke right"

"Oh shush." Ruby laughed. "Yang's actually a really great fighter, you should see her. You can tell she learned a lot from Dad. Well, so are Weiss and Blake. Oh! They're my teammates. Together we form team RWBY. And yes, that does cause a lot of confusion. Anyways, uh, I made a bunch of new friends. There's Jaune. He's pretty funny, but a bit of a dork. Then there's Pyrrha! She's incredible! Oh and then there's Ren and Nora. Ren's super cool and mysterious, while Nora can be…well Nora" Ruby said with a small laugh

"Oh, we've also stopped some bad guys too! I guess it's like they say: Like mother, like daughter" Ruby gave a quick motion towards Sora.

"Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to someone. Mom, this is Sora. He's well…he's my boyfriend. He's not really from around Remnant, but I think you would've really liked him" Ruby finished

The familiar sound of a corgi could be heard in the distance.

Sora turned around only for Zwei to tackle him, licking his face.

"Woof, woof!" Zwei barked as he wagged his tail

Hey Zwei! How are you boy? You've been good?" Sora laughed as Zwei rolled over for a tummy rub.

Ruby laughed at the scene and turned back to her mother's grave. "Anyway, dad must be back, so I gotta go! He's gonna be dropping us off back at beacon. The tournament is in a few days, so I gotta get back and train. Wish me luck!" Ruby said with a slight fist pump

She began to walk away, taking hold of Sora's hand, taking a few steps before turning back and saying "It was good to talk."

"You ready to head back?" Ruby asked

Sora looked once more unto Summer's grave "Your mother was huntress too. She'd be proud of you Ruby"

"Yea, thanks. I never saw her fight but I heard she was one of a kind. She's the reason I wanted to be a huntress. When I was little she would read me stories of heroes who fought for justice and would stand up for whats right. I wanted to be that too, and my mom used to say that I should always stay true to myself, so here I am"

Sora seemed to contemplate this for a moment. He looked at Ruby. She had this look of complete happiness. Sora knew Ruby wanted to be a huntress more than anything, but up until now, he never understood why. But her face said it all. She so firmly believed in world where everyone could be happy and there was no more hurt. There was beauty in that dream.

"A Hero of justice huh? I could be that you know"Sora said

Ruby gave a light giggle "You already are, silly"

"No I mean it! Someday I'll be a hero of justice just like the ones in the books. I promise!" Sora said with complete sincerity. He could see how much it meant to Ruby, and he wanted that too. He wanted to share in her dream.

Ruby blushed from Sora's sudden declaration but quickly snapped out of it, noticing Zwei chasing a squirrel.

"No Zwei! Leave the nice squirrel alone!" Ruby started to chase after the little corgi.

Sora laughed at the scene unfolding in front of him. He began to follow Ruby's mad dash through the woods.

But he stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a voice. A small girl, like the one from his dream, but slightly older now.

"Fine. Since you can't do it, I'm gonna be a hero for you" the voice said

Sora turned, looking for its source but found nothing

"What?" he asked to himself

"You said it yourself that you can't do it anymore, but I still can. Just leave it to me. I'll make it happen" the voice said as it faded away

Sora didn't understand why, but he suddenly felt tears fall from his eyes. He didn't know why he was crying, but all he knew was that he just felt…sad. Sad and empty

It felt as though his heart was ready to give up then and there.

"Hey Sora! Hurry up slow poke" Ruby called to him.

Sora wiped away his tears "Yea I'm coming wait up!" He called back

Sora began to fear the worst

What could all this mean?

What was that dream?

What were these voices he was hearing?

Why was he feeling the these things?

'I don't know what's happening to me, but I know just the person to ask' Sora thought

* * *

 **What! Another chapter? But its only been like like one day! Your incredible!**

 **Yes thank you, I do say so myself. I am on a bit of a roll right now, but again dont expect this every time.**

 **Im just kidding around guys. Anyway this chapter was a blast to write. Its essentially the first actual chapter of the main story line.**

 **Something is going on with Sora. What were these visions that haunted his dreams? What connection does he have with Summer. I dont know I just work here.**

 **Next chapter: The Maiden's Power**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	10. The Maiden's Power

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 9 – The Maiden's Power

The weekend passed by fairly quickly. Sora was still distressed about his dream and the voices but wasn't able to find who he was looking for when he got back to beacon later that day. Its seems that they went on a mission outside of Vale, and would be back on Monday

He dreaded having to wait. He wanted answers, if at all possible.

Ruby took the rest of the weekend training with Weiss, Blake and Yang. They had to get ready for their first round on Monday

Ruby didn't ask him about it, but she could see something was troubling Sora, so she decided to let him be.

As Monday came around the girls were ready for their fight against team ABRN of Haven

Sora and the rest of the Guardians cheered from the stands.

* * *

The battle was hard fought but drawing near its end. Weiss saw an opening "Yang!" she called out, grabbing the blonde bruiser's attention.

Weiss used her control over the ice around her and formed a large ramp.

"Now!" She directed

Yang charged forward using her Ember Celica to gain speed along the ramp. She began to slide faster, and faster. She could see Blake running alongside her, preparing her Gambol Shroud. Yang caught it, holding on tight as the line that connected her and Blake guided her forward.

Ruby knelt down, letting Blake jump atop of her as she fired a round off from Crescent Rose, shooting Blake into the air.

The remaining three members of team ABRN didn't have enough time to foresee what was coming.

Now in the air, Blake used her motion to pull Yang forward, sending straight into their opponents. Yang landed, connecting her fist with all three members, hitting them with the force of a truck.

The buzzer rang, signaling that the remaining combatants had been knocked out of play.

The crowd was cheering and Professor Port could be heard over the loud speaker "And that's the match! Team RWBY is victorious!"

Ruby managed to catch up with the rest of her teammates. "We did it?" Weiss asked

Ruby turned to her sister, who was now giving her a small fist pump.

Ruby was so excited she had to jump up in happiness "WE DID IIIIIIIII-

* * *

Team RWBY made their way to Beacon's fairgrounds.

"-s anyone else starving" Ruby said, clutching her stomach

Blake smiled and said "I may have worked up an appetite" which was followed soon by her stomach growling.

"Gee, if only there were somewhere on campus to get food around here" Weiss said sarcastically. "Oh Wait"

Unfortunately, Ruby didn't take sarcasm too well "it's okay, Weiss. I forget about the fairgrounds too"

Weiss rolled her eyes "I was being facetious"

Although Ruby didn't entirely know what that meant, she could tell it was serious. She raised he arms up in concern "Wh-Well, if you were hungry, why didn't you say so!?"

Yang motioned her team forward "C'mon! I know just the place.

"Which one is it?" Weiss asked

"You know the one owned by the shop keeper"

Ruby began to scratch her head "Does anyone else ever notice how he owns almost all the shops in Vale?"

"Honestly, I thought I was the only one who noticed" Blake said

"That is strange" Weiss added. Before she could continue she felt her Scroll ringing. She pulled it out and saw it was her father calling. Weiss gritted her teeth, and closed her scroll in anger.

"Hey!" a girl yelled to them "Might be hard to eat without this!"

Ruby turned around to see Suimar Cor, the exchange student from Haven. In her hand she was holding what looked to be Ruby's wallet. By her side were two of her teammates Eris and Lily.

Ruby began to whimper as she furiously searched for her wallet "Huh? No,no,no,no…"

Sui cut her off with a small fit of laughter "Ha ha ha, good to see you Ruby." She said with a warm smile

"Oh, thanks Sui!" Ruby gratefully accepted her money back "Guess I dropped it. Guh, girl pockets are the worst!"

Yang walked beside Ruby "What's up, Sui?"

"Just left the stadium after watching your amazing fight. You guys were awesome!" Sui praised

"Oh stop it, you're just too nice…Ruby began to blabber on for a little

Weiss and Blake walked beside the rest of their teammates

"I heard your team progressed to the next round, too" Blake said

Sui jumped up a bit "Oh I forgot, I never introduced you guys to my other teammates!" Sui motioned to her left "This is Eris" she said, referring to the girl with pink hair. "And this is Lily" she said referring to the girl with green eyes and two long pigtails.

"Sorry, she doesn't really talk a lot"

Lily waved innocently

"Nice to meet you!" Ruby said cheerfully "Why don't we all go get some victory food together?"

"Oh" Sui hesitated "That's really nice of you, but Evan's not so great around other people…soooo" She said looking behind her at a nearby shop.

In front of it stood Evan Suruat, holding a boot in one hand, and a katana in the other.

"Hmmm?" Evan sounded as he began to poke the sword into the boot

"….Yea" Sui continued "He's…kinda introverted. Really socially awkward."

"Oooh yea, I could see that." Yang said, feeling sorry for her

"So yeah, seems like we decided to have Eris and Evan move on to the Doubles round. What about you guys?" Sui asked

Ruby stood in a heroic pose and stated "Well, as leader of this team, I thought long and hard about this decision."

Weiss seemingly cut in "We put it to a vote"

Ruby panicked a bit "Uhh yes but I decided that we should put it to a vote."

"We voted for Weiss and Yang" Blake motioned to her teammates

"I will happily represent team RWBY." Weiss said with a curtsy

Yang pounded her fists together "Yea we're gonna kick some butt!"

Sui laughed at their remarks "Well, if Evan and Eris see you down the line, don't expect them to go easy on you" Sui finished, almost sounding like a threat

But Yang simply brushed it off "Wouldn't want it any other way"

Sui and her teammates waved goodbye "Alright well, we gotta go, Evan's probably gonna check out some more shops. See ya later!"

Evan now rejoined the rest of his team. He turned to see Sui with a disgusted look on her face

"So how are the new "friends" doing" Evan mocked

Sui sighed, putting her head down in frustration

"Honestly Sui, I don't know how you do that. How can you be so nice to them all the time?" Eris asked

"With a lot of practice and a lot of patience" She answered coldly "I hate them, you have no idea how much I want to strangle them.

Evan shrugged "Well you know, orders are orders"

"Yea I know." Sui replied

"Did you at least get what we needed?" Evan asked

"It's the heiress and the bimbo" Eris shot in

"Well, at least that won't be a problem" he answered with a smirk

It's incredible how they didn't even recognize you, Neo! You must be excited to see them again?" Eris asked.

The girl in question's eyes flashed pink and brown. She threw a small card at Eris.

Eris read the card aloud. "I could hardly contain myself. I just want to have another go with big, round, and blondie"

"I'm sure you will, in time. But for now we wait" Sui said coldly.

* * *

Team RWBY made their way to the shopkeepers stand. They sat down, happily awaiting their meals.

"I'll have a bowl of the regular, please" Yang said. A giant bowl of noodles slid in front of her.

"Oooh, I'll take the same!" Ruby said as another bowl of noodles came sliding her way

Weiss spoke up next "Hmm, Do you have anything with a low salt-"she was then cut off by yet another bowl of noodles. "..Umm…Okay?"

"Blake simply nodded to the shopkeeper. A signal he seemed to understand as he ran behind his kitchen and brought out a bowl of fish instead. A line of drool began falling from Blake's mouth

Weiss smiled and gave her credit card to the shopkeeper. "Aww Weiss! What's the Occasion?" Yang asked, genuinely surprised by the heiresses action.

"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round" Weiss answered, before having her credit card thrown back at her. She looked up in confusion as she saw the register had declined it.

"What? How can my card be declined?" she questioned, partially embarrassed. Blake looked from the side to side as she tried to sneakily take her fish and run, only to be disappointed as the shopkeeper snatched it away from her

"Hey guys!" Team RWBY turned to see Sora coming their way, followed by Ven, Terra, and Aqua.

"Hey Sora…" Blake said with her head down, her mind still on those delicious fish

"We saw your fight! It was…Hey are you guys okay?" Ven asked

"We were going to get something quick to eat before we went back to the coliseum for more fights. But my credit card was declined" Weiss said with her head down

"That's unfortunate" Aqua admitted

"I know!" Weiss cried out. She could see Ven standing behind Aqua, partially avoiding her gaze, but still appearing upbeat.

Weiss failed to build up the courage to talk to him after their fight. She spent the weekend thinking of ways that she could apologize. This might have been her chance to finally clear the air. There was more to Ven than he would let on, and she shouldn't have been so fast to judge him.

"I know!" Ruby called out. "Maybe they could lend us a hand, I mean we'll pay you guys back. How much lien do you guys have on you?"

"Aww, Ruby they don't have to" Yang said

"But they could!" Blake quickly shot in

Ven, Terra, and Aqua all looked at each other in confusion. "What's lien?" Terra blurted out

"Let me stop you there" Sora cut in. "The three of them are still new around here so they don't really understand the currency all too well yet.

"Do they mean munny?" Ven asked Terra. The latter only shrugged his shoulders

Everyone seemed on the cusp of defeat until they heard a voice sent from the heavens themselves. Or at least, that's how Blake saw it.

"Maybe I could help" Pyrrha said, the rest of team JNPR followed suit.

Blake quickly dashed over "Oh thank you. Thank youuuu" She cried

"Well, I think you all earned it after that battle." Pyrrha said warmly

"Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked

* * *

The twelve of them ate their fills. Their bellies were full and their hearts were content.

"Are you sure it was wise to eat before a fight" Ren asked

"Of course! It will give us energy." Pyrrha said cheerfully, which was followed by Nora's incredible belch.

"Yea, never go into a fight with an empty stomach!" Ven said

"You guys have no idea how hungry you could get aboard the gummi ship. Especially with Goofy. He eats everything" Sora said, reminiscing about his friends

Jaune had his head down on the table "Uhh, if I barf I'm blaming you"

"Ooh aim it at the enemy!" Nora suggested

"Nora! That's disgusting. But if you do feel the urge…" Ren said

"Noted" Jane said with a thumbs up

Terra was simply sitting there, still enjoying the scraps of his food. But he was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard a name that was somewhat familiar

Not too far away from the fairgrounds, a man could be seen speaking through a microphone. "Come one, come all, to the annual Beacon Rumble Racing tournament! If you're lucky enough, you'll have a chance to go up against last year's champion, Captain Dark!"

"There's no way, this is just a coincidence. Well, might as well check it out" Terra said to himself. "Hey guys, I'll see you all later, I'm gonna go check this out"

Ven waved" Ok see ya!"

Sora turned and could see Roxas and Xion visiting a nearby stand that was selling seashells.

"Hey look, Roxas and Xion are back from their mission! I'm gonna go say hi, I'll see you guys later!" Sora waved, as he made his way to them.

Pyrrha now stood up "Well, we should probably be off as well. Our match starts soon."

"Good luck!" Ruby cheered

Team RWBY looked on as Team JNPR slowly made their way back to the coliseum.

Aqua felt her pocket vibrate and pulled out her scroll

"Hey Aqua, I didn't know you got a scroll" Yang said

"Oh, Yes! Shortly after we arrived in Vale, some of the local officials gave us scrolls to commemorate our welcome. It seems that I too must go. Professor Ozpin seems to have a mission for me. He wants me to meet him up in his office. Talk to you guys later! Let me know how the fights went!" Aqua said as she began to run off in Beacon's direction

"We'll be sure to keep you informed!" Weiss shouted back to her

Ruby then rose from her seat "Well, we don't wanna miss the fight. We should probably head out too. Ven, you wanna tag along?"

Ven smiled brightly "Sure!"

As the five teens began walking Weiss made her move 'I won't get a more perfect chance' Weiss thought

"Hey Ven…?" Weiss asked lowly, not wanting her teammates to hear her

Ven turned to face her with a curious expression, but then returned to his usual bright demeanor.

"Yea? What's up?" he said cheerfully

Weiss was caught off guard by his attitude. It was like it didn't even phase him.

"Um…I just…wanted to apologize to you for what I said after our fight…It was clear that I hurt you and that I shouldn't have jumped to any conclusions" Weiss said sincerely

"Don't worry. I totally get it" Ven said, his smile never fading from sight

"You do?" Weiss asked

"Yea, you got a lot of things on your mind, you know with the tournament and all. So I'll stay out of your way, no hard feelings"

Weiss didn't know how to respond. Before she could say anything Ven kept on talking

"Until then, just make sure you bring home a win for Team RWBY, ok?" Ven said

"Ok…yea…thanks" Weiss replied with a small smile

'Except it's not ok Weiss' she thought to herself 'That isn't what she wanted at all. I don't understand how he could be so happy, so forgiving?! There's clearly something under his bright exterior that he doesn't want to show others. And maybe I would feel better if I just knew more about it.'

* * *

Back in the fairgrounds, Sora approached Roxas and Xion.

"Hey guys! Welcome Back!" he said with a bright smile

The two turned to Sora, reciprocating his smile

"Hey Sora! What's up?" Xion asked

"Oh, nothing much really" He lied

'It's great that you guys are here. If anyone could have some kind of answer, it was going to be Roxas, he was my Nobody after all. And now that I think about it, Xion too.' Sora thought to himself

"Anyway, how was your mission in Mistral?" Sora continued

"Piece of cake!" Roxas cheered "A couple villages on the outskirts of the continent needed some Grimm cleared out" Roxas sighed "Don't you just miss the times when all we'd fight was heartless?" Roxas asked

"And Nobodies" Xion added

"No not really" Sora laughed "Why?"

"No reason, just seems like the Grimm have gotten a bit tougher lately is all"

It was now or never "Hey…Roxas…oh you too Xion…can I talk to you guys something, its important." Sora asked lowly

Without much hesitation, Roxas and Xion quickly jumped in "Yea of course, you can talk to us about anything" Xion's face grew with concern for her friend. "What kind of brother would I be if I didn't help you out?" Roxas said

'That's right. Roxas was my Nobody. He practically is my brother. We even share the same last name, Hikari' Sora thought, appreciating that he could always count on Roxas

"Ok thanks guys" Sora than lead them to a nearby table where they could sit down and talk

"Alright, so what's up man?" Roxas asked

Sora thought long and hard about what he could say "Well, a few days ago I had this strange dream"

"What kind of dream?" Xion asked

"I'm not really sure exactly….visions…nightmares…It's hard to remember it all" Sora admitted "But there is something that I remember. It's just so clear. A name. Summer Rose." Sora finished

"Summer Rose? Who's that?" Roxas asked

"At first I had no idea. But it turns out that its Ruby's mother." Sora said

"Ruby's mother? How come she never mentioned her before?" Roxas asked

"She died when Ruby was only a kid. She was a huntress too. But that's not the weird part."

"Then what is?" Xion asked

"I met her in my dream, she was only a kid. The next day I actually went to visit her grave with Ruby and I…heard her voice…and I don't know why, but I cried. It felt like something inside of me was just tearing itself apart" Sora finished. "I don't know where it came from"

Roxas's eyes widened in realization.

"Um Sora, I wish I could help you but I don't see why you came to-"Xion was quickly cut off by Roxas

"I do. I know why Sora came to us" Roxas said

* * *

Aqua made her way up to Professor Ozpin's office. Despite everything she's been through, she felt nervous. Professor Ozpin was kind of intimidating. As the elevator doors opened, Aqua's heart felt heavy. She stepped out, seeing Ozpin by his desk, sipping on his coffee mug. He seemed alerted to her presence and rose from his chair.

He made his way over to her, extending his hand "Ms. Aqua Cordis, I don't believe I ever had the opportunity to formally introduce myself. I'm Professor Ozpin, headmaster of this academy"

Aqua shook his hand "Yes I know who you are sir, it's an honor"

"Believe me, the honor is mine. And I would also like to introduce you to a couple of my associates" He said, motioning towards two other people in the room. "I'm sure you already know Ms. Goodwitch, the head administrator here at beacon"

Aqua approached Professor Goodwitch and shook her hand "It's good to see you professor" Aqua said

"Likewise" Goodwitch responded with a smile

And this is General James Ironwood, the headmaster of Atlas academy and a general in its army.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Aqua, I've heard a lot about you" Ironwood said, shaking Aqua's hand

"So you're the general I've heard so much about" Aqua smiled

"Oh, so you've heard of me" he responded

"Rep talks about you all the time. He hold a lot of respect for you sir"

"Well, I can't say I fault him for that" Ironwood said, clearly satisfied

Goodwitch rolled her eyes and signed "Please don't stroke his ego"

Aqua turned to face Ozpin "Anyway, Professor Ozpin, I was told you had a mission for me?"

Ozpin sat back down "Yes, of sorts. Please, sit. I have some questions for you first, if that's alright" he said with his usual calm expression

"Of Course." Aqua sat at Ozpins desk

Ozpin smiled "How are you enjoying Remnant so far Ms. Cordis?" Ozpin asked

"It's been wonderful, thank you. I still have a lot to learn. I'm still getting used to your currency." She answered honestly

This made Ozpin chuckle a bit "Lien? Yes, I remember Sora having the same issue when he arrived"

"At least I'm not alone in this" Aqua laughed

"Hmm, you know Master Eraqus speaks quite highly of you. He's told me all about you. Seems like you were practically a perfect student"

"You know Master Eraqus?" Aqua asked

"Yes, I've actually known him since we were only children. Before he became a keyblade wielder, he was actually born here, On Remnant."

"I…The master never told me." Aqua said

"He also told me, that out of all his pupils, you were the only one who seemed to pay attention to his keyblade history lessons. Is that correct?"

Aqua suddenly became excited. "Yes! I loved those lessons! There's so many interesting aspects of the Keyblade's history and the many wielders who possessed one. Oum's ascension, Nomura's revelation, the Luna fragments, and the Shawcross Climb were some of my favorites"

Ozpin smiled "Of course. But what can you tell me of the Keyblade War?" He asked, his face suddenly becoming more serious.

"I'm sorry?"

"The Keyblade War" He paused "I'm curious about what kind of events would lead to a war for all creation"

"Um…It's a bit of a long story"

"We have time. Please, start from the beginning if you could"

Aqua conceded "Ok…well…In the beginning there was only darkness in the world. Humanity wandered in the dark, alone and afraid. But everything changed when Kingdom Hearts appeared and bestowed the X – Blade upon the world, filling it with its warm light. The world slowly came together under this new found light as a man simply known as the Master of Masters took on six apprentices, teaching them how to utilize the light in the form of its very source. Thus the first generation of keyblade wielders were born. These six wielders eventually became masters themselves. Upon completion of their training, five of the apprentices were assigned a Union, each with their own laws and ideologies, in order to guide the world in peace and teach future generations of keyblade wielders. In addition, they were also given a tome from the Master's Book of Prophecies, detailing the various events to come" Aqua paused for moment

"The sixth however, never received a union nor a tome of their own. Instead the Master gave them another task. The sixth apprentice would soon disappear, never seen again. Their mission never known to the world."

Aqua smiled, recounting the stories of the ancient keyblade wielders "Masters Invi, Gula, Ira, Aced, Ava, and Luxu: The Foretellers. They were truly an incredible group of individuals." Aqua added before continuing

"Over time, the Foretellers' personal interests would take precedent over their respective duties. Some desired power, some desired knowledge, and some desired peace. Whatever their motivations may be, their Unions followed them without question. Each and every one took a solemn oath to serve their Union and fight for their ideals. This only helped lead to their downfall. While each Foreteller shared a mutual respect for each other, their Unions operated independently from one another; and so a rift was formed between the Foretellers. Without their knowledge, one of their own had torn out the final pages from their tomes, betraying the trust they once held for each other. This eventually led to wide spread panic, tensions escalated, and war broke out. Each Union fought for dominance, determined to obtain the light for themselves. Thousands gave up their lives in the ensuing battles and in their quest to obtain the light, they inevitably brought about its destruction. Darkness engulfed the world, shattering the X-Blade and the light of Kingdom Hearts with it. But fragments of light survived in the hearts of children, recreating the worlds as we know them today" Aqua finished

"It's possible that if the Foretellers had those last pages, they could have avoided the calamity and saved the world. Or better yet, save themselves."

Ozpin smiled "Hmm, yes, it truly is an incredible tale. Like the Keyblade, Remnant is full of legends and stories, some true, some not" Ozpin laughed

"Would you believe me that one of our oldest stories can be dated back around the Keyblade War?"

Aqua laughed "It must be some story to have lasted this long"

"Indeed it is" Ozpin suddenly became serious "What if I were to tell you that a piece of the Keyblade War was a part of this story, hmm?" Ozpin asked

The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew tense. Aqua was at a loss "What…what do you mean?"

Ozpin smiled "There once lived a callous old man who refused to leave his home. One day, he was visited by four travelling sisters. The first sister understood his reclusive nature and urged him to use his time in solitude to reflect and meditate. The second sister brought him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his garden. The third sister warmed the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him. And the fourth and final sister begged him to look at all that he has and be thankful. In return for their kindness, the man granted the maidens incredible powers, so that they may continue to help others all over the world. They graciously accepted and promised to share their gifts with the people of Remnant until the end of days." Ozpin paused

"Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Four Maidens." Ozpin finished

"Um...I…I…" Aqua stammered

"While this is a nice story" Ozpin spoke up "It is very much real"

Aqua could sense that General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch had seemingly gotten closer to her, closing her in.

"A small group of individuals such as myself, the General, and Ms. Goodwitch have protected the knowledge of the Maidens for generations, protecting them from threats both foreign and domestic, known and unknown, dark…." Ozpin paused, taking a moment to drink his coffee "…and light" he finished

Aqua mustered her strength and spoke up "I'm sorry sir…but I'm still not sure I completely follow…What does all of this have to do with the Keyblade War?"

Ozpin rose from his desk and motioned towards the elevator. "Ms. Cordis, if you'll follow me, there's something I want to show you"

Aqua slowly approached Ozpin, she was immediately followed by Ironwood and Goodwitch.

Ozpin pressed a series of buttons on the elevator's interface, seemingly activating some secondary function.

The elevator began its descent. "Professor, may I ask where we're going?" Aqua asked

"To the vaults, underneath the school"

Minutes would go by before the elevator doors would open. Upon exiting, Aqua looked on in awe of their current location. A large hall that seemed to stretch on forever, various chambers hiding hidden secrets, and green torches marking their exterior.

They began to walk down its dark corridor in silence. Aqua had no idea what was going on. 'What could have survived the Keyblade War? And what does it have to do with these maidens?' She thought

"Aqua, I'm sure you have many questions" Ironwood said

"You could say that"

"I'm aware this may be overwhelming, but all we ask of you is that you trust us" Goodwitch advised

"We are here to dismiss any concerns you may have" Ironwood promised

"I guess my first question should be "Why are you telling me all this?" Aqua pondered

"Because these are desperate times. For the first time in our history, we are vulnerable" Ironwood said "Shortly after the defeat of Xehanort, the Fall Maiden was attacked and part of her power stolen"

"While the maidens have existed on Remnant for thousands of years, both their history and yours are more connected than you think." Ozpin added

"What do you…"Aqua trailed off as they came toward the end of the corridor. At its end stood a machine, two large chambers on both of its sides. In its left chamber, a woman could be seen resting. Her breaths shallow, but constant.

"Is that..?" Aqua asked before she was interrupted

Ozpin sighed "The current Fall Maiden, Amber.

Aqua slowly approached Amber's chamber, noticing as she drew closer that some invisible force was pulling at her. She couldn't place her finger on it, but it felt familiar.

"It's faint, but I definitely can feel something" Aqua said.

As she got closer, Amber's power became clearer and easier to understand. Aqua placed her hand atop the glass and focused "It's…strange…she almost feels like a…" Aqua stopped and began to back up, realization dawning on her

"A Keyblade?"

* * *

Amity Coliseum

Team SSSN finished their match against Team NDGO, emerging victorious

"-That concludes the matches for today." Oobleck's voice boomed "Please leave the coliseum in a CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION!"

Team RWBY rose from their seats, followed by Ven. Weiss began to slow down as she noticed a small ship in the distance 'Winter! She came!' Weiss was overcome with happiness. She hadn't seen since before she came to Beacon

Caught in her thoughts, Weiss came to a stop, her mind to engrossed on her sisters return

Ruby accidently bumped into her, followed by Ven bumping into Ruby.

Ruby quickly stepped back, preparing to apologize immediately. But before she could say anything, she was caught off guard by the sheer look of happiness Weiss had

Ven seemingly noticed this as well "Is she okay?" he whispered to Ruby

"I don't know, I've never seen her like this. It's kind of scary."

"She's here" Weiss breathed. Weiss suddenly began to run towards the exits, pushing through people along the way.

"Where is she going?" Ven asked

"I don't know let's go!" Ruby declared

After exiting through the horde of people, Ruby and Ven arrived at Amity's docks. In the distance they could see Weiss boarding a shuttle.

"Looks like that shuttle's full. If we want to catch up with her, we're gonna have to board another one!" Ven Proclaimed

Ruby and Ven quickly boarded the second shuttle back to Beacon. Several minutes later they arrived at their destination. Upon exiting, they could see Weiss running in the distance.

"It looks like she's heading for the docks!"

Due to their speed it was fairly easy catching up to her. Only a few feet behind her now, Ruby spoke first "Weiss, what is the big deal? Who is it? Who is she?"

Weiss finally stopped, her sister's ship now in view "Winter!" she smiled

"Wait…your sister?" Ruby questioned

A woman could now be seen exiting the small ship, her white hair tied up in a bun, casing her bangs to fall down the right side of her face. She was full clad in military clothing, not uncommon amongst people hailing from Atlas

"Winter!" Weiss called out

The woman in question slowly turned around, her face matched that of her cold exterior

Weiss, Ruby, and Ven ran up in front of her

"Winter! I'm so happy to see you!" Weiss said excitedly before calming herself "Oh, your presence honors us."

Winter began walking forward, hers hand held behind her back "Beacon, it's been a long time" she exclaimed "The air feels…different"

"I mean its fall so it's probably colder…" Ruby added. Weiss smiled nervously and punched Ruby, knocking her down

"I've travelled to a bunch of different worlds, so the air doesn't feel all too different to me" Ven now noticed

Weiss than proceeded to punch him as well.

Standing straight and composed, Weiss asked "So what are you doing here?"

Her attention seemingly elsewhere, Winter responded "classified"

"Oh right." Weiss felt a little discouraged from her blunt answer but continued nonetheless. "Well, how long are you staying?"

Winter now turned directly towards Weiss, her blank expression never leaving her face "Classified"

Weiss nodded her head, understanding that her sister was a busy woman "Of course"

Ruby and Ven recovered from Weiss's surprise attack, slightly uncomfortable from the lack of communication the two sisters were having

"Well this is nice…I think" Ruby said

"Ooh you're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! Vale too! The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it? I'm-"

"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its bureaucracy" Winter cut her off "That is not why I came"

"Right!" Weiss's head fell "I'm sorry"

"Nor did I come to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears I have no choice in the matter" Winter said coldly

"But we won?" Weiss insisted

"Only a novice would call that a victory" Winter responded "I counted at least three strikes missed

Weiss clutched her hands in embarrassment

"Hey what's the big idea?!" Ven shouted "She fought just as hard as everyone else and all you can say is she didn't make the cut?"

Weiss turned to Ven, surprised by his praise but furious it was directed towards Winter. "Ven…" she snarled through her teeth

Surprisingly, Winter didn't seem too phased by Ven's sudden outburst

"Call it tough love" she told him

"I call it bullying!" Ven shot back

Winter was silent for moment before she signaled for the Atlesian knights to step away from them

She sighed and smiled towards Weiss "How have you been?" she asked

"Oh…um…splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class. The rest of my studies are going wonderfully too. I'm-AHH!" Weiss was cut off as Winter slapped her across the head

"Silence you boob!" Winter ordered "I don't recall asking about your ranking. I asked how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?"

Weiss took a moment to think "Well there's Ruby…" To which Ruby was poking the big bump that grew on Weiss's head "Boob" she said childishly

"And…there's Ven" Weiss said nervously. Ven was actually surprised to hear Weiss call him her friend.

"Hmm, I see. So this is the leader you spoke of. How appropriately…underwhelming" Winter scolded

Not really knowing anyway else to respond, Ruby simply agreed and smiled "Uh…Thank you"

"Greetings Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister."

"Oh yes, of course! The honor is in my…court." Ruby attempted to curtsy, but almost ended up falling over.

Winter then turned to Ven. "And you must be Ven. Weiss hasn't mentioned you before. May I ask what form of relationship you share with my sister?" Winter asked bluntly

Ven blushed slightly "Relationship?!" Ven mumbled "I…we…we don't…"

"We're just friends!" Weiss shot in.

Winter seemed a bit disappointed by her sister's response "I see. Well Ven, you've made it abundantly clear that you don't entirely agree with how I assess my sister's performance, but please believe me, I'm just looking out for her, and want her to do the best she possibly can" Winter admitted

Weiss was dumbfounded. How was she not furious at Ven?

Ven smiled "I understand, I just don't particularly agree with how you show it"

Winter smiled "Anyway, I have business with your headmaster. But seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?" Winter asked

"Really?" Weiss shot up

"Yes, I wish to inspect them and make sure they are up to my personal standards" Winter began walking forward, Weiss staying close to her side

"Of course. Just so you're aware, the bunk beds only look unstable" Weiss added

"Bunk beds?" Winter questioned

* * *

Beacon Fairgrounds

"You do?" Sora asked

"Twilight Town" Roxas said

Sora nodded slowly

"Im sorry what about Twilight Town" Xion questioned

"It was right after Sora woke up. Right before he went on his journey to stop Organization XIII. He woke up in Twilight Town and he met Hayner, Pence, and Olette. The friends I made in DIZ's simulation, remember them?" He asked Xion

"Yea, you visited them a couple times after we beat Xehanort" Xion added

"Well, when Sora was leaving, there was a moment where they questioned if they had met him before. And he didn't know why at the time but…"

"He cried…" Xion realized

"At the time I was Sora, and Sora was me. I felt what he felt, and in that moment he felt what I felt."

"But that's where I don't get it. You were my Nobody, Roxas. As far as I can tell, Ruby's mom is'nt my Nobody"

"No maybe not, but one thing is certain" Roxas said

"And what's that" Sora asked

"Whether you understand it or not, you share some kind of connection to Ruby's mother, and it runs deep"

"Yea…ok" Sora put his head down

"Is there anything else…anything at all? We're here for you" Xion offered

Sora struggled to remember his dream, everything was still a blur.

'Wait! The man in my reflection and the boy in my dream' he thought

"There was a man in my dream. I've never met him before. I have no idea who he is"

"What did he look like?" Roxas asked

"He had white hair and tanned skin" answered

"Kinda sounds like Xehanort" Xion responded

"No. It wasn't Xehanort. He didn't have Amber eyes, he had dark grey eyes."

Roxas and Xion both shook their heads. They didn't know who he was either.

"Well there was someone else in my dream" Sora said "a boy who looked like me, except he had black hair and amber eyes"

Both Roxas and Xion's eyes widened in surprise

"What…does that mean something to you guys?" he asked

"What was he wearing?" Xion asked

"Um…I think some kind of organic black and red body armor. Why?"

"Vanitas" Xion said

"Vanitas? Wait I think Ven mentioned him before" Sora recalled

"Vanitas was Ven's darkness given form. Ven was always scared that he was gonna come back. But he's been long gone for years now" Roxas explained

"Then why would he have been in my dream" Sora wondered

"What was he doing? Did he hurt you in any way?" Xion asked

"No, nothing like that. He was just smiling. He seemed like he was at peace. All he said to me in the dream was "Come on, its time"

Roxas and Xion looked to each other for answers, but found none. "Sora, maybe you should talk to Ven about this. He can give you more information on Vanitas. He might be able to help you" Roxas suggested

"Yea…Yea! I'm gonna do that! Thanks guys, I appreciate it" Sora's upbeat nature suddenly returned

"You got it buddy" Roxas said with a thumbs

"No problem!" Xion smiled

* * *

Beacon Vaults

"How…How is this possible?" Aqua asked

Ozpin spoke up first "Master Luxu. The sixth Foreteller. He didn't die with the Keyblade War. He avoided it altogether. When all was said and done, he made it here on Remnant, seeing his mission to its end"

"What was his mission?" Aqua questioned

"To chronicle the events of the Keyblade War, and share it with future generations. And he succeeded" Ozpin walked over to the center panel next to Amber's machine. He typed in a series of characters, and a small platform rose from the ground behind him. Atop of the platform held a book.

Ozpin picked up the book and handed it to Aqua.

Aqua stared at it in wonder "This…this is…"

The Master of Master's book of prophecies, passed on to Master Luxu in order to record the Keyblade War.

Aqua opened the book, perusing through its contents. Everything was in here! Notes about the foretellers, the heartless, the Nobodies, and even the Grimm. Everything about Xehanort, Sora's journeys, the Organization, it was all here! The book seemingly ends with Xehanort's defeat, its future uncertain after that.

"Feeling the full weight of guilt for not doing anything to save his former friends, Luxu secluded himself for centuries" Ozpin added

"Until the maidens came?" Aqua asked

Ozpin nodded slowly "Yes, they opened his eyes and he embraced the world around him. But they also gave him an opportunity." Ozpin said "An opportunity to atone for his sins. Luxu believed that he no longer had the right to use his abilities and protect the world. So he took his keyblade and broke it into four pieces, bestowing a piece of its power onto each of the Maidens, believing they could right his wrongs"

"Amber isn't…the same Fall Maiden from the story, is she?" Aqua asked

"No." Goodwitch answered "When a maiden dies, there power moves on to the next host. As far as we can tell, the next host is whomever is in the Maidens final thoughts."

"But if that person is elderly or male, a random host is chosen" Ironwood added

"Why…Why are you telling me all this. Shouldn't the rest of the Guardians know?"

"Which is exactly why we are only telling YOU, Aqua" Ozpin began "The knowledge of the Maidens is extremely sensitive, and only a select number of people actually know about them. We don't want to risk this information ever getting out"

"You're an extremely intelligent young woman, Aqua. You understand the severity of the situation. Imagine what could happen if somebody like Xehanort knew about the Maidens. There would be chaos. There would be anarchy" Ironwood finished

'They were right. If somebody like Xehanort knew about this, who knows what length they would go to obtain it. The power of the Maidens. The power of a Foreteller.' Aqua thought

"We brought you in because we understand that the Maidens are just as much part of your history as they are a part of ours. We believed that you at least had the right to know."

Aqua didn't know what to say. All of this was so overwhelming. But then she remembered something. Amber's condition

"Earlier you said that that part of her power was stolen. Do you know who did it?" Aqua asked

Ironwood stepped up to Aqua "No unfortunately her assailant is still at large. But we do they're not working alone"

"How so?"

Ironwood held up a small device in his hand. Upon activating it, a small holographic screen popped up, revealing a devastated looking Vale.

"Surveillance footage from Xehanorts defeat, approximately three months ago. Many of us were incapacitated at the time, but through later inspection we noticed this."

On the screen, the shining moon of Kingdom Hearts could be seen, its door opened. As the clouds began to close in, five small lights could be seen floating away from Kingdom Hearts. The screen then disappeared and Ironwood placed the device in his coat pocket

"We haven't confirmed this yet, but we believe somebody somehow retrieved the hearts of Masters Invi, Gula, Ira, Aced, and Ava. For whatever reason, they're attempting to reunite the Foretellers, and the only way to do that is by taking out the Maidens" He finished.

"We don't know what is coming. But when it does, we hope that you will stand with us" Ozpin said

Aqua thought for a few moments and nodded her head "You can count on me sir."

Ozpin smiled "Thank you"

Ironwood then pulled out his scroll. As he opened it up, a voice could be heard from the other end

"Hello, Sir. We need your presence is requested by the docks"

"What's the issue Lieutenant?" Ironwood asked

The lieutenant seemed nervous "Its Schnee sir. She seems to be involved in some kind of altercation"

The voice of a woman could be heard in the distance "If you will not hold your tongue, than I will gladly remove it for you!"

A man with a low raspy voice seemed to lead her on "Alright then. Come take it"

Sounds of weapons could be heard clashing

Ironwood hung up his scroll and sighed "Qrow"

"Qrow? Why is he here?" Goodwitch complained

Ozpin turned to Aqua "It seems our attention is needed elsewhere. We'll be in touch Aqua. Thank you for coming today"

The four of them began to walk towards the Vault's exit. Aqua took one last look behind her, gazing towards Amber's comatose body

So many thoughts clouded her head 'This is bad. We barely survived Xehanort. If someone were to obtain the power of the Foretellers…I don't know if all of us will come out on top. Ven, Terra, Sora…all of the Guardians, and all of my friends at Beacon could be in danger' Aqua thought

Her face hardened 'No, I won't let anything happen to them. I'll keep you safe, I promise'

* * *

 **Phew! This chapter took a while. A lot of things went down in this chapter. Sora is slowly piecing together whatever it is thats going on with him. Aqua learned about the Maidens and their true nature. And our enemies's intentions were revealed, but for what purpose?**

 **As you also may have noticed I am giving the keyblade wielders in the story last names, as it will be easier to address them later on, especially in a more formal tone. It would sound weird if someone said Mr. Sora or Ms. Xion.**

 **As of right now their last names will be as listed**

 **Sora Hikari,** **Riku Kurayami,** **Kairi Kokoro, Ventus Lumen, Terra Obscurum, Aqua Cordis, Lea Sinclair, Roxas Hikari, Xion Memoriko, Namine** **Kokoro, and Rep** **Kurayami**

 **Quick shout out to Theothergy for the suggestions. Thanks again!**

 **Next Chapter:** **Reconciliation**

 **Anyway, until Next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	11. Reconciliation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 10 – Reconciliation

 **Outside Ozpin's tower**

Aqua followed behind the General, curious to see what the commotion was about. Upon exiting the tower, the General was immediately greeted by a girl with rather curly hair

"General Ironwood! I found you!" the girl said

The general turned to the girl bearing a look of disappointment "Penny?! Where is your security detail?"

Penny began to panic a bit before recovering "They're…they're in the courtyard trying to contain the situation with Ms. Schnee" she said

The general sighed "Remind me to reassign them, you can't be left alone Penny! Guh…I'll deal with it later" The general continued towards the courtyard, Penny following closely

* * *

 **Beacon Courtyard**

After returning from the Fairgrounds, Sora was making his way towards the dorms, hoping to find Ven. He had hoped to see what he could learn about Vanitas, maybe find some clue to why he was in his dream.

Upon arriving, he could see a large group of people conglomerating around the courtyard. The sounds of weapons could be heard in the distance

"I wonder what that's all about." Sora asked

He began to walk over, noticing Weiss standing beside the crowd. Sora made his way through several people, coming beside Weiss, noticing her stunned expression

"Hey Weiss, what's going…on?" Sora stopped dead in his tracks as he saw a man with a long red cape and a long greatsword with some kind of clockwork mechanism on its hilt. He was fighting what looked like an older, even colder version of Weiss, rapier in hand.

"Wow…" Sora muttered

The familiar voice of Ruby rang out in the air. Sora turned to see her and Ven run up to them.

"Weiss! What's going on?" she asked concerned about the sudden fighting

"Some crazy guy just started attacking my sister" Weiss explained

"Oh no! Who would do such a – thaaaat is my uncle!" Ruby jumped up excitedly

"That's your uncle?!" Sora asked Ruby

"Your sister's awesome" Ven praised

"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted

Weiss pouted "Teach him respect, Winter!"

As Winter and Qrow continued to clash, Sora just stared on. The speed of their attacks, their unparalleled skill was a sight to bear witness to. But something was very wrong. Sora felt his stomach churn and he clutched his chest in pain. The world began to blur around him. Winter and Qrow were no longer fighting, but two other people entirely.

Sora's face went white from shock. Standing where Qrow should have been was the tanned man with white hair and grey eyes.

"It's that man again" Sora said while looking to the combatants. One was indeed the man Sora saw in his reflection. His red cloak flowing behind him. He stood there facing a woman. This woman wore a long white cloak covering her head and a plain black dress. Both of them stood there, appearing to be unarmed.

But then something quickly caught Sora's attention. The man seemed to materialize a pair of twin swords out of nothing

"Whoaa…" Sora said while admiring the swords

The woman on the other hand, began to glow, light pouring out of what seemed to be her eyes.

The man and the cloaked woman began running towards each other, ready to engage in a fight of their own

As they were about to clash, Sora was pulled back as he noticed a hand on his shoulder

"Hey Sora, you Okay? You were spacing out" Ven said

"Oh…yea…I'm fine! Don't worry!" Sora turned back to the fight only to see that Qrow and Winter had seemingly returned

Outside of the group, Evan Suruat walked by noticing the fight. He looked on in shock as he saw Qrow

"Oh great. Him" Evan said coldly. "I have to inform Sui" He began to walk back towards the dorms as the fight came to its climax

Winter held her dual rapiers out, summoning a glyph behind her, ready to finish this

Qrow gritted his teeth and pressed a button on his sword. Its gears began to shift, shifting the sword into what looked like a scythe. But before it completed its transformation, Qrow smiled and placed the now inactive sword behind his back

Winter looked confused by this action. 'Is he drunk or just a fool' she thought

Qrow smiled and wagged his finger at her, egging her on.

"Hahhhh!" Winter yelled furiously as she detonated her glyph, shooting forward, ready to pierce Qrow's neck.

When she was only inches away, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Schnee!" Ironwoods voice rang. Penny could be seen hiding behind the general. Aqua soon followed them as well.

Winter turned around and stood at attention "General Ironwood, Sir!" she said

The General looked around with an irritated expression "What in the world do you think your dong?" he asked

"He started the altercation, Sir!" winter exclaimed

"That's not actually true, she attacked first" Qrow pointed out

Surprised, Ironwood stared darts at Winter "Is that so?"

Winter opened her mouth to refute his statement, but instead put her head down in defeat

The general now looked past Winter, towards Qrow "And you."

Qrow seemed confused, and pointed to himself, unsure of the question. The general walked up beside him "what are you doing here?" he asked

Qrow smiled "I could be asking you the same thing"

Ozpin and Goodwitch suddenly emerged within the crowd

Now, now everyone." Ozpin said calmly "There are more sanctioned exhibition fights happening just around the corner at the coliseum. That I can assure you have better seats. And popcorn"

Goodwitch stepped up now "Break it up everyone!" she boomed "We'll take care of this mess"

Ironwood straightened his tie and signaled for his Atlesian knights "Let's go. Penny, let's go find your guards"

Ruby, Weiss, Sora, and Ven made their way into the middle of the crowd.

Penny turned around and waved to Ruby happily.

Ruby jumped excitedly towards Qrow and plopped herself atop his arm. "Uncle Qrow! Hi" She continued to hold on "Ahh it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?" she asked

Qrow smiled and said "Nope" as he ruffled Ruby's hair

"Qrow. A word please" Ozpin said

Ruby dropped from his arm with a loud thud!

Qrow turned to Ruby "I think I'm in trouble"

Ruby shrugged "Well you did kinda tear up our courtyard."

Qrow looked past Ruby towards Sora "You must be the boy I heard so much about"

Sora's face flushed a bit "Yea, Im Sora! Nice to meet you!"

"Heh nice to meet ya, kid. But let me just tell you something real quick" Qrow got closer to Sora and suddenly became really serious "If you do anything to hurt my niece in anyway, you will regret it. Got it?" Qrow said menacingly

Sora laughed nervously and nodded his head as fast as he could "heh…heh…yea…I got it"

Ruby nudged Qrow a bit "Come on Uncle Qrow, be nice to him!"

Qrow just chuckled a bit "Come on, I'm just joking around. You know me" Qrow smiled "Catch you later kid"

Qrow walked with Ozpin and Goodwitch back to the tower.

Weiss came beside Ruby "And suddenly your recklessness makes sense" She scowled

Ruby smiled and elbowed her partner "You're just mad because he kicked butt"

"That was a draw at best!" Weiss shot back

Ven then chimed in "You know if it had been a few more seconds Winter probably would have had him"

"Thank you!" Weiss added

"The only reason he stopped fighting was because he saw the general coming, Ven. I think he was just toying with her" Sora shot in

"You don't know that for sure" Ven argued back

The teens then began to laugh at their sudden bickering

"So…Sora…Do you wanna come with me to see some of the exhibition games at the coliseum?" Ruby asked sweetly, hoping to spend some time with her boyfriend.

"Sorry Ruby, I was actually meaning on talking to Ven about something. It's important, maybe I'll meet up with you in a little bit"

Ruby conceded "Oh…ok…that's fine" she said with a disheartened expression

Sora looked to Ven "You have time to talk, Ven?"

Ven looked on with a curious expression "Yea sure"

The two began to walk away, heading back into the dorms.

Ruby kept on looking towards Sora as he walked away. She sighed, which seemed to alert Weiss

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked

"Oh its nothing. Somethings been bothering Sora all weekend but he hasn't told me what it is." Ruby admitted

"Why don't you go ask him?" Weiss suggested

"I didn't want to bother him about it if he doesn't want to tell me"

Weiss comforted her teammate "I'm sure it's nothing. I wouldn't worry about it"

"I hope so"

* * *

Ozpin's office

Ironwood stood by Ozpin's desk, his arms crossed, and his expression full of malice

The gears amongst the ceiling slowly turned.

Aqua stood by the window, gazing out, and thinking about the threats to come

Winter paced back and forth impatiently

The sudden ding of the elevator rang, its doors opened revealing Goodwitch, Qrow, and Ozpin.

Winter stepped forward, speaking first "What were you thinking?" she demanded

"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot" Ironwood added

Qrow pulled out a flask from his pocket and unscrewed its top "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself" Qrow snarled

"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation" Goodwitch declared to Winter

"Perhaps that's a bit unfair, Professor. He was the one who initially instigated the conflict in the first place" Aqua insisted

"Thank you" Winter said gratefully "Plus he was drunk, and he was making an ass out of himself"

"He's always drunk!" Goodwitch shot back

Everyone turned to Qrow to see that he was indeed still drinking

Ozpin sat down and asked "Qrow, why are you here?"

"You've been out of contact for weeks, you can't just go dark like that in the field" Ironwood added

"I'm not one of your "special operatives", Jimmy." Qrow mocked

"That's General" Winter snapped

"Whatever. You sent me to get Intel on our enemy and I'm telling you, our enemy is here. But I guess you already knew that!" Qrow paused waiting for a response, but received none. Their silence only confirmed his claims "Well thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!" Qrow shouted

"Qrow! That's enough!" Ironwood declared

"You know, communication's a two way street pal" Qrow pulled out his scroll "You see this? That's the send button"

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter informed him

Qrow was just about done with the ice queen "And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here. Seriously, who invited her?"

A few moments of silence passed before Ironwood spoke up again "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back on my ship"

"But…but sir!" she pleaded

"Winter, please…"

Winter stood at attention and saluted "Yes, sir"

On her way out she took a moment to glare at Qrow. In the elevator, she opened her scroll and began sending a message to Weiss "Sister, I apologize for that incident earlier. I am free now if you would like to properly catch up. I'll be waiting by the vineyards.

After the elevator doors closed, Qrow turned to Aqua "You too kid"

Ozpin spoke up "She can stay, Qrow. This is Master Aqua Cordis of the Guardians. She's already agreed to join us"

Qrow seemed to eye Aqua up and down "Heh, is that so? Welcome to the big kids club"

"Get on with it, Qrow." Goodwitch pushed

"I've been tracking Fall's assailant for a few months now. Most of my leads went cold. But there was one I managed to follow. Followed all the way back to Beacon. I have reason to believe that Beacon's been infiltrated"

"What! They're here at the school?!" Aqua Cowered, thinking of her friends. "We could be in danger, we have to do something!" Aqua pleaded

"We will take care of it as discretely as we can" Ozpin said

"But force isn't off the table" Ironwood finished

Ozpin narrowed his eyes toward Ironwood for his additional comment

"But I haven't even gotten to the best part yet "Qrow said "this infiltrator, they're not just some pawn. They're the one responsible for Fall's condition"

"What?" Goodwitch said in disbelief

After taking a few more sips from his flask, Qrow began again "Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers or generals or keyblade wielders. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about. It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet or did you just not give a damn?" Qrow demanded

"Discreet wasn't working" Ironwood said as he placed his scroll atop Ozpin's desk, activating a holographic projection.

"I'm here because this is what was necessary" ironwood motioned towards the holographic projection of the current Atlesian fleet hovering around Vale "The White Fang's breach, the War with Xehanort, they gave me no choice but to intervene before it escalated any further" Ironwood insisted

"You're wrong! You're here because Ozpin wanted you here. He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us." Qrow shot back

"And I am grateful"

Qrow laughed "Oh well, you got a real funny way of showing it."

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe and our enemies will feel our strength"

Qrow began laughing a bit harder now "You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there and ive seen the things they've made and let me tell you. They are fear." Qrow finished

"And fear will bring the Grimm." Ozpin spoke up. He then motioned to Aqua "The Guardians have acted as a symbol of comfort. A symbol of hope. But an army is a symbol of conflict. Ever since Xehanort, there's been an energy in the air. Everyone can feel it. The question at the back of everyone's minds" Ozpin paused

"If this is the size of our defenses, what is it that we're expecting to fight?"

Everyone looked to Ironwood for answers. He sighed and took his scroll, deactivating the projection.

"So then, what would you suggest we do?" he asked

"I suggest we find Fall's successor"

"Very well….I'll compile a list of viable candidates. But when the time comes…are you sure they'll be ready?" Ironwood asked

"We must have faith. I do believe that will be all for today"

"Thank god" Qrow began "now if you'll excuse me, I have a pair of nieces who are probably dying to see me" he said as he left the room.

He was soon followed by Goodwitch and Ironwood. Aqua took a few moments for them to leave, wanting to be alone on the way out.

"Aqua" Ozpin's voice suddenly pulled Aqua out of her thoughts.

"I know you're concerned about your friends' safety. But please believe me that we will handle this. Nobody will get hurt, I promise"

"I know. I trust you, it's just that I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the maidens were created by Master Luxu and that the Foretellers could soon very well return" Aqua said

Ozpin smiled "You sound almost excited"

'Under different circumstances, I might be. But the Foretellers started a war that ended in the complete destruction of the world. I don't even want to think what they could do this time"

"That's why we're here. To make sure that doesn't happen. And it won't. I promise" Ozpin declared

"Thank you sir, if you need me, just let me know" Aqua said as she headed to the elevator.

Before she could summon the lift, it seemingly opened. A man emerging from it.

Aqua stared at the man. He had tanned skin, white hair, and grey eyes. He was wearing some kind of black body armor, black pants, and a red coat. He was fairly built, and his eyes seemed to be very distant, almost dead inside.

Ozpin shot up from his chair "Shirou! I had no idea you were coming!" Ozpin said in bewilderment

Shirou seemed a little confused himself "Neither did I. I guess I got here at the perfect time though. I just missed Qrow. Wouldn't want that to happen-huh" Shirou stopped as he noticed Aqua's presence.

"Hello…" he muttered

Ozpin shot in "Aqua, this is Shirou Emiya. He's an old colleague of mine. Shirou, this is Master Aqua Cordis of the Guardians"

"The Guardians, huh. I'm impressed. It's nice to see you again." Shirou gave a small bow

"Again?" Aqua wondered "Have we met before?"

"Oh! No, no we haven't met. I'm so sorry! I guess I'm just excited to finally meet one of the Guardians. You've all been in the news so much lately"

Aqua chuckled a bit. She still wasn't used to the idea that she and the rest of her team were something like celebrities in this world. "I understand. It's nice to meet you too" Aqua said politely. But something about this man made her feel uneasy.

Shirou smiled "Would you perhaps, show me your Keyblade? I've always wanted to see one" Shirou asked

"Of Course" Aqua said. She then commanded her Keyblade to appear and in a flash of light, she now held Stormfall.

"Neat trick. May I?" Shirou asked for permission. Aqua handed over the blade, watching Shirou as he inspected the blade. He seemed to look at every detail of the blade, from its tip to the bottom of its hilt. After he was done, he turned over the blade and handed it back to Aqua.

"Thank you. It was nice to meet you, if we meet again…I hope it will be under different circumstances. But for now, I have business with your headmaster. We have a lot to discuss" Shirou said

"I'm sure. That'll be all Aqua, you may go" Ozpin said. Aqua thought it sounded less of a suggestion and more of a demand. Aqua took her leave, looking on as the elevator doors closed.

Her trip down was quiet. Aqua was trapped in her thoughts. Everything that happened today. Everything that will come scared her to death. But all of that aside, something about Shirou was still bothering her. When he touched her keyblade, there seemed to be a small green spark. Aqua didn't know what it was, but it certainly wasn't normal.

But the thing that bothered her the most wasn't that, but something else entirely. 'He almost acted as if he knew me' Aqua thought to herself

"Why…does that man…seem so familiar?"

* * *

 **The dorm room of Suimar Cor, Eris Vos, and Evan Suruat**

Evan was sitting telling his account of Beacons new visitor

Sui was pacing back and forth, her expression calm "And you're sure" she asked

"Bad hair, used a scythe, and smelled like my dad after a long day. It was him." Evan said

"What do we do?" Eris questioned

Sui stood still, contemplating their options "Nothing. We stay the course. He has no idea who we are, so we have no reason to worry. This plan has been in motion for months. The White Fang's breach, Roman's imprisonment, and Xehanort's defeat were all part of the plan. It's far too late to turn back" Sui said coldly "Only a few more steps until everything is set in motion. For now, you need only worry about the doubles round on Wednesday, just in case you're selected"

"That shouldn't be a problem" Evan smiled

* * *

 **Ven's room**

Sora was sitting atop Ven's bed, his head down. Ven stood in front of him, his arms crossed.

"So what's up?" Ven asked "Something seems to be bothering you lately"

Sora looked up and began to explain what he could "A few days ago, I had some….dream…or a vison…I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that my heart is trying to tell me something. But I don't know what that is"

Sora told Ven about some of the things he could remember, and the strange connection he may share to Summer Rose

"Ruby's mom huh? That's a little weird. What else can you remember?"

"There was this man in my dream. I don't know who he is, but….he was the reason I was spacing out earlier during the fight"

"What do you mean?" Ven asked

"While Winter and Qrow were fighting, everything seemed to blur, and suddenly he was standing there fighting some woman in a white cloak"

"Maybe it was Summer" Ven answered

"What?"

"Think about it, you have some kind of connection to Summer and this man. And suddenly you see this same man who you don't know, fighting some woman that you don't know. So maybe the woman was Summer"

"Maybe…but what exactly are you trying to say?" Sora asked

"I'm saying that….maybe whoever this man is, might have been Summer's enemy."

Sora stared in disbelief 'It would make sense. Maybe Summer had some kind of conflict with this man. But why?' Sora thought

"Maybe you're right. But…that's not the only thing in my dream that I wanted to talk to you about" Sora said

"Shoot away!" Ven exclaimed

"There…was also this boy in my dream. A boy who looked like me…but he had black hair and…amber eyes"

Ven stood in silence for a few moments before speaking again. His expression was now completely serious.

"Vanitas" he said. Sora nodded

"What do you want to know" Ven almost seemed like an entirely different person. His happy and cheerful persona gone, replaced by the seriousness of something similar to a drone

"I hate to make you do this, but can you please tell me more about him"

Ven sighed, he hated having to remember that boy. The pain, the suffering, and the hell he put him though. But he could see that whatever this was seemed to really worry Sora.

"Well, as you know Vanitas was born form the darkness in my heart. He was Xehanorts attempt in having light and dark clash in order to create the X-Blade. But after he was born, I was left in a coma" Ven paused before continuing, struggling to remember "That was when my heart came in contact with yours and you helped repair what was broken" Ven smiled

"Some time passed, and eventually we had our fated conflict. He took over my body, and I was forced to fight him for control. In the end I won, but I shattered my heart in the process. So I took refuge in the only place I could" Ven laughed as he remembered the sweet memory "You welcomed me into your heart with open arms"

"What was it like…to be in my heart?" Sora asked

"Well…" Ven scratched his head for a moment before chuckling "for the most part it was kind of dull and dimwitted like you" Ven teased

"Hey come on!" Sora laughed

The two laughed together until Ven suddenly became serious again. "In all seriousness though, your heart was…quiet and…dark for a long time. I was always scared that a part of Vanitas survived and followed me, but he never came"

Sora looked at the pained face of Ven. He clutched his hands to halt the shaking, and continued

"Vanitas was cruel, sadistic, and just…evil" he finished

"Is it possible that….when you became part of my heart…that Vanitas did as well? What if Vanitas...is my darkness now?"

Ven stared a few second but then began to laugh hysterically. "Hey, what's so funny!? This is serious!"

After catching his breath Ven spoke "Well if that's the case, then I guess I have nothing to really worry about! Hahaha! Come on Sora, if he's your darkness now, then he can't be all that bad" he laughed

Sora just looked at Ven in disbelief. He was still laughing at Sora's expense "I don't get it"

Ven stopped and pointed to Sora's heart "Well there's not exactly a lot of darkness in there to be all too worried about. What's he gonna do, glare at me to death? He's probably less of a murderous sociopath now, and more of just an annoyance. If that's the case then I'm not too worried about him. And you shouldn't either" he admitted

"You're Sora! You've beaten a lot worse than a little darkness. Whatever your heart is trying to tell you, I'm sure that you'll beat it!" Ven exclaimed

"Thanks" Sora smiled "I think I feel better"

"No problem, bud!" Ven said with a thumbs up

Sora got up and prepared to leave, Ruby was still waiting for him. Before exiting, he turned and asked "Hey I have just one last question"

"Hmm?"

"It's about my connection to Summer. While you were in my heart, was there anything at all that seemed strange?"

"Well it is your heart, how could it not be strange" Ven laughed

Sora simply glared at Ven

"But…for the most part your heart was fairly quiet. It wasn't long ago before Roxas, Xion, Namine, and Rep showed up there. But…"

Sora shot up "But…?"

"If anything, shortly after you got the keyblade, your heart would constantly replay the moment you received it, right before being swallowed up by darkness on Destiny Islands."

"When you saved me?"

"Saved you?"

The two stared at each other for answers "After Riku was swallowed by the darkness it tried to take me too. But a flash of light saved me, and suddenly I had the Keyblade. I assumed it was you"

Ven shook his head "No, I always assumed that you were only capable of wielding a keyblade because of me. I thought that was just its power awakening inside you." Ven paused

"I didn't save you that day"

Sora didn't know what to say. He was at a loss for words.

"I…I…appreciate the help. I still don't know what all this means but I think I might be on the right track, Thanks Ven" Sora said lowly as he walked out

* * *

 **Beacon Vineyards**

Weiss and Winter had been sitting at a small table drinking small cups of tea, catching up with one another.

The low setting sun casted reflections off of the nearby fountain, creating a sense of complete serenity. "You're leaving already?" Weiss asked

"Yes" Winter admitted "I was merely needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale." Winter began to narrow her eyes "Our last shipment was lost to an ambush. I believe you had a run in with its cargo, actually. It's fortunate those paladins were still in the prototype stage. Otherwise…your team may have not fared so well" she finished

Weiss lowered her head and breathed deeply. She patiently waited to be scolded by her sister, but to her surprise it never came. Winter gently placed her hand on top of Weiss's "Weiss, you done…well" she smiled

The sudden compliment seemed to fill Weiss's heart with such giddy happiness, she thought she would just jump out of her chair right there. But she managed to keep her head level and gave an appreciative smile

"Ive been thinking about what that boy Ven said" Winter began "Perhaps I was too harsh earlier, and I should have been more supportive.

'I had no idea that Ven actually made an impression on her like this' Weiss thought to herself, blushing slightly as she remembered Ven's defense of her in front of Winter.

"You really have done great out here on your own." Winter praised "You should be proud"

Winter smiled and gave a light giggle "I'll be honest, it was quite amusing seeing father's face the day you left for Beacon. Mother supported your decision but he wouldn't hear any of it"

Weiss crossed her arms in an almost victorious pose "I can't wait to show him what I've learned"

Winter seemed slightly amused by Weiss's reaction "Oh? And what do you think you've learned?" she asked

"What do you mean? I'm getting better and better with my glyphs. I've even started time dilation." Weiss said

"And what of your summoning?" Winter asked

"You…you know I can't" Weiss muttered

"Don't be ridiculous. Every Schnee has the ability to Summon. We have for generations."

"I've tried!" Weiss insisted "It's just…the one thing I'm having trouble with!"

Winter breathed deeply, she wanted to criticize her sister for her incompetence, but she knew better now. "We Schnees are unique. Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. But that doesn't mean it will come easily. Think of your Semblance as a muscle. The more you practice with it, the stronger it will become" Winter then activated a small glyph atop her hand, holding it out for Weiss to see.

"But if you only focus on one aspect of it…If you fail to test the limits of what you think is possible…" Winter paused as she detonated the glyph, creating a small burst of light.

Weiss covered her eyes to block out the light, but when she looked back to Winter, she sat in awe. Beside her now was a Beowulf composed of light. It leaned its head in to Winter, only for her to stroke it gently "Then you'll never truly grow. You know all of this Weiss. Master Shir-huh?" Winter stopped as she noticed Aqua walking by the vineyards.

Winter stood up from her seat and signaled for Aqua "Excuse me! You're Aqua, correct? I met you earlier in the headmaster's office."

Aqua walked over and smiled "Yes, I apologize for what happened earlier"

"There's nothing to apologize for, I would like to thank you for defending me actually." Winter said gratefully

"Oh it was nothing" Aqua laughed "They were being a little unfair to you, so I only did what was right"

"OF course" Winter smiled "Let me properly introduce myself then. I am Winter Schnee, perhaps you already know my sister" she said motioning to Weiss

"Hello Aqua" Weiss smiled

Aqua reciprocated her smile and waved back. "I'm Aqua Cordis, one of the Guardians. It's a pleasure to meet you"

Winter bowed slightly and motioned her in "Please join us, someone as dignified as yourself-Is something wrong?" Winter asked as she noticed Aqua looking past her

"There's a Grimm right behind you…"

Winter turned around and laughed "Oh this! This is just my summon. My family prides itself on its genetic advantage it possesses. Our Semblance is hereditary, so it passes on from generation."

Aqua stood in awe and then turned to Weiss "So you can do these Summons too, Weiss?"

Weiss averted her gaze "Well…yes…but…not…"

Winter suddenly cut her off "We were just about to practice in refining her summons, would you care to watch?"

"Um…sure" Aqua said

Aqua stood beside Winter as she began to instruct Weiss. Weiss stood in front, her rapier ready

A few moments passed before a glyph slowly started to form along the ground. Its movement wasn't as smooth as Weiss's usual glyphs, and Aqua could see that Weiss was truly focusing everything she could muster

"Excellent form!" Winter exclaimed "Now think to your fallen foes! The ones that force you to push yourself past who you were and become who you are now." The glyph started to lose its pristine light, slowly blinking in and out

"Think of them, and watch as they come to your side"

The glyph began to shrink and blink more and more. It disappeared completely as Weiss stomped her foot on the ground "I can't!" she shouted in defeat

Winter quickly slapped the backside of Weiss's head out of frustration "Stop doubting yourself!"

"Im trying!" Weiss cried back

"If this is what you call trying, then you have no hope of winning the Tournament, let alone succeeding as a huntress" Winter retorted

Weiss gritted her teeth and turned back activating another glyph, she would prove her wrong. But before Weiss could continue, Aqua, voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Excuse me, perhaps I could help" she said

Winter glared but quickly softened her expression "I highly doubt that Aqua, Our power is unique. You may not understand how it works."

Aqua nodded "You right, I don't know how your Semblance works. But I do understand other ways of channeling energy, perhaps it could help"

Winter nodded in agreement "Perhaps. Go ahead" she said

Aqua walked up beside Weiss "Well, for starters Emotions can give you strength, Weiss. But you must never let those emotions overpower you. Your sister channels her power though the memories of her enemies. Her anger and frustration push her forward. But that might not necessarily be what pushes you forward. Perhaps you simply don't agree with those emotions"

Weiss stood there, hanging on to every word that Aqua said. 'She's right, I don't have that fire like my sister has. But then…' she thought

"Then what should I focus on?" Weiss asked

Aqua smiled "Whenever I use the keyblade, I focus on what makes me happy. Friends who I couldn't bear to live without and the memories we share. Think of something that pushes you forward because it is worth fighting for" she said as small bursts of light erupted from her keyblade.

"Something that's worth fighting for?" Weiss asked herself

Weiss thought to herself about what mattered to her. 'My family, my sister, my duty as a huntress, my time here at beacon, Ruby I guess, Blake, and Yang' she thought

Weiss formed another glyph along the ground, its movement not as choppy as before, but still dimming in and out.

"Don't focus on too many memories at once. Find one in particular to focus on" Aqua said

Weiss closed her eyes to focus. She couldn't decide what it was that she was truly happy about. Her life, for the most part has been pretty demanding. Besides her small group of friends at Beacon, she didn't really have any. 'Everyone outside always expects me to be perfect. My own family would often criticize me for any failures. My own father didn't believe me when I said I wanted to be a huntress. No one did' Weiss began to criticize her shortcomings, until a lightbulb suddenly went off in her head 'No, not everyone…he believed in me' she thought

Weiss opened her eyes and spoke softly "If you walk down the path that you believe is right, you cannot be wrong"

The glyph, in response, began to move more smoothly, and glowed brighter than ever.

Aqua and Winter stood in awe as a being of light started to emerge from the glyph. The body of what looked like a large knight began to crawl out of the glyph, its massive sword in hand. It was only half way out before Weiss began to struggle and lost her focus, dismissing the glyph and its knight.

Weiss began breathing heavily, unsure if she'd call it a success. She was ready to stomp and shout, but Aqua cut her off

"That was excellent!" she praised

Weiss turned around with a perplexed expression "It…was?"

"Of Course!" Aqua insisted "You can't expect to get it perfect on your first try, but you did great! With a little practice, I'm certain you'll have it down in no time!" Aqua said

Weiss was dumbfounded, she looked to her sister for additional approval. Winter walked up and said "Well, while I don't necessarily agree with your method…the results speak for itself. Well done, Weiss" She smiled

Weiss's eyes glimmered in happiness, and the biggest smile formed on her face, melting away the usual cold expression she wore. "Thank you" she said

"Anytime!" Aqua said

Winter spoke next "Weiss, that thing you said before your summon. That was what Master Shirou said, wasn't it?"

The name Shirou seemed to immediately alert Aqua "Shirou?" she asked

Weiss quickly shot up "Master Shirou Emiya. He was my Fencing instructor growing up. He taught me how to fight, and he was the first person to support my idea of being a huntress. He was someone I really looked up to" Weiss explained "When I told him about my wish that was what he said to me. He told me that if you walk down the path that you believe is right, you cannot be wrong. I've held on to that ever since" Weiss admitted

"But then one day he moved away, his wife found a job out of the Kingdom. And I never got to see him again" Weiss said sadly

"Shirou…Shirou Emiya" Aqua began "You're not gonna believe me but I just saw him on the way here"

Winter looked up with a confused expression and stared at Aqua

Weiss jumped up in excitement "What?! No way!"

"Man with tan skin, white hair, and grey eyes? Wears a red coat?" Aqua asked

Weiss gasped "It is him! I can't believe it! Do…do you know where he is now?"

Aqua shook her head in response "No, I Saw him speaking to Professor Ozpin earlier, but if I see him I'll send him your way" Aqua reassured

Winter narrowed her eyes at Aqua, seemingly suspicious of her sudden claim. She looked at her scroll "Weiss, I apologize but I must go, I hope you understand"

The two sisters embraced each other in a loving hug. When they parted Weiss smiled and said "It was really good to see you, Winter"

"Until next time sister" Winter responded. She turned to Aqua "Thank you again for helping my sister's summoning. It was a pleasure to finally meet you Aqua" she bowed slightly

"Of course, the pleasure's mine" Aqua smiled

Weiss and Winter began to walk out, moving in separate directions. Weiss walked off, hoping to find her long lost Master, while Winter headed in the direction of her ship.

Aqua smiled, glad to have helped the Schnee sisters "Weiss seems nice, No wonder Ven likes her" she giggled to herself

Upon exiting she turned to see that winter was seemingly still there. Aqua looked the other way to see Weiss was long gone, nowhere in sight

Winter walked began to walk up to Aqua, a serious expression glued to her face

"Aqua, a moment please" she requested

"Yes" Aqua answered nervously

Winter seemed to look around for any prying ears "What you said…about seeing Master Shirou. Were you telling the truth?"

Aqua didn't seem to understand where this sudden change in Winter came from "Yes…I saw him earlier after you left Ozpin's office. Why?" she asked

Winter rubbed her chin in deep thought "That…just doesn't seem possible"

"Why?"

Winter looked straight into Aqua's eyes and said,

"Because Shirou Emiya died seven years ago"

* * *

 **And here is the next chapter everyone! It was a bit harder to find time for this one, but I managed to get by. So as we get closer to when everything inevitably falls apart, we now have the sudden appearance of Shirou Emiya, the man from Sora's vision, and a link to other character's pasts. What are his motives? Is he friend, or foe?**

 **I dont know. I guess you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **This chapter was originally going to be longer but I decided that this will be a two part chapter instead!**

 **Next chapter: Reconciliation Part 2**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	12. Reconciliation Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY**

 **They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 11 – Reconciliation Part 2

Aqua's mouth dropped for what felt like an eternity. "Dead? I…I don't understand. How could he be dead? I just saw him!" Aqua questioned the still straight faced Winter

Winter's expression remained unchanged "Master Shirou was my sister's first teacher. He didn't just teach her to fight, he taught her how to read and write… and about the outside world. He was very kind to her. I guess you could call him Weiss's first real friend. But one day, he was heading outside of Atlas and never made it back" Winter paused.

"His vehicle was found crushed beside a mountain and his body mutilated by Grimm" Winter said

"I….that's horrible" Aqua replied. She could now see that Winter had a more sad expression on her face

"I personally made sure that no matter what….Weiss would never find out. No matter how hard she searched, all she would find were lies…" Winter took a deep breath "…my lies." Winter said lowly

"I told her that his wife found a job out of the Kingdom and that's why he had to move away. She was devastated…but I'd rather her believe he was alive and well then…." Winter trailed off

"Weiss's next teachers weren't as kind" she finished

Despite this new information, something was still wrong. "Then…how was he here meeting with Ozpin?"

Winter looked to Aqua with an inquisitive expression. "I've worked with the military and more specifically General Ironwood for some time now. It isn't uncommon to place operatives under deep cover; fake their deaths, change their identities. Its possible Ozpin could have faked his death for his own ulterior motives."

"But why?" Aqua asked

"That's what I intend to find out. But for now, we'll have to keep this discreet. Just know that I will have to inform the General that Ozpin may have agents hidden around the Kingdoms." She looked to her scroll and saw that she was running late "I must go, if you see him again, please feel free to contact me"

With that Aqua and Winter parted ways. Aqua walked around Beacon's grounds, deep in thought.

'I knew there was something strange about him. His presence just felt off. But what could Ozpin possibly have use for recruiting a teacher for some unknown mission?' Aqua thought

She stopped dead in her tracks as she walked past Ozpins towner, glancing to her side and noticing something that immediately caught her attention. Looking out of one the upper floors of the tower, stood two men. Aqua was unfamiliar with one of the men. He was rather tall, he had dark red hair, and a short red beard. He wore what looked like bronze armor with cuffs and greaves with fringes that left his arms and thighs unprotected. Over his back he wore a thick red mantle, almost looking like a giant theater curtain wrapping around his back.

Aqua could see that this man seemed to impose great strength. She looked to the man next to him and recognized his immediately. His tan skin, his white hair, and those grey eyes. His coat flowing behind him as he moved

"Shirou!" She was amazed to see the man once again. She began walking toward the tower, never keeping her eyes off of the two men. They were deep in conversation. Aqua could see that Shirou was pulling something from out his back. She couldn't see what it was, "What's he taking out? Military secrets? Maybe they're both working for Ozpin? Some kind of weapon?"

Aqua stopped as she could now see that it was in fact none of those. Shirou handed the man what looked like a large plain white t – shirt. He took it and held it up excitedly as he was turning the shirt over, revealing a map of Remnant on its front.

Aqua didn't really know what to think. As she got closer, the voice of Weiss stopped her in her tracks. Aqua turned to see Weiss waving to her and slowly making her way in her direction. 'not now!' Aqua thought. She needed to follow Shirou, learn more of his intentions. Aqua quickly turned back, looking toward the floor the man and Shirou were at. She was shocked to see that they seemingly disappeared.

"They're gone…" Aqua said aloud.

"Who's gone?" Weiss said, now by Aqua's side

Aqua shot around and quickly waved her arms dismissively "Oh, oh, nothing, its nobody!" Aqua lied

Weiss raised her eyebrows at the sudden reaction, but soon dismissed it. Weiss had something that she wanted to discuss.

"Um Aqua…" Weiss began, making sure to avert her gaze "You wouldn't by any chance have time to talk would you?" she asked nervously

Aqua composed herself after losing Shirou once again. She looked to Weiss and smiled brightly "Of course. What's up? Do you need more help with your summoning? I'd be happy to help" Aqua offered

"Um…no, that's not it, but thank you anyway. I…" Weiss paused "I was hoping to talk to you about Ven" she admitted

Aqua put on a devilish smile and became excited "Ooh you need some advice on Ven. He's a pretty simple guy you know, but I'm all ears"

Weiss blushed slightly and quickly shook her head "Wha…No that not it!" Weiss retorted "I was hoping you could tell me more about…his past."

Aqua' s smile soon faded "What do you know?" she asked

"Well the night we met….we didn't exactly get off on the right foot. I lashed out against him and I think I hurt him." Weiss said lowly while clutching her arm

"Though, I don't think he would ever admit it. When he tried to explain his side of the story he mentioned that he was once Xehanort's pupil. I didn't want to believe him but he seemed so angry about it. He didn't really give me any details but I could tell that it really hurt him. And seeing that…I guess it bothered me" Weiss finished

"And why exactly did it bother you?" Aqua questioned

"Because…because it was unfair of me to judge him so hastily and take out my frustrations with Sora out on him. I just want to understand and apologize to him."

"Sora? I thought you and Sora were friends"

"We…we are, it's just…" Weiss trailed off

Aqua smiled and nodded slowly "Oh…I think I understand"

"You do?"

"You've trained all your life to get where you are today. You were raised to be perfect and you came to Beacon expecting the same in other people. Am I on the right track?" Aqua asked

Weiss nodded, confirming her claim

"Then you met people like Ruby…people like Sora, who displayed none of that and yet they can be just as strong and just as talented. But Ruby and Sora may tend to act like…children. And Ven is just like Sora" Aqua smiled

"Weiss, regardless of how you may perceive Sora and Ven's behavior, there's a lot that they hold under the surface. That happy, care free attitude they normally display is really just to cover up what they've been through." Aqua paused

"Especially Ven…I think that's why he wanted to meet you"

Weiss looked up curiously "What do you mean"

"Well…" Aqua began "…judging from what I've heard about your family's company and how your sister acted toward you. You probably didn't have an easy childhood, secluded from other people and forced to be placed on a higher pedestal than everyone else. I don't want to sound rude, but perhaps that's why you put up a colder exterior around other people. It's the only thing you understood"

Weiss wanted to argue back, but everything she said was completely true, so she stayed silent.

"It can get pretty lonely, being cut off from others like that. Ven understands that more than any of us. I think he saw that in you and felt that he could help alleviate some of that loneliness. Perhaps he simply wanted a friend who understood what it felt like. I don't think he cares about the perks of your name, but rather the person behind that name" Aqua finished

"You…you barely know me and yet you can…see all that?" Weiss asked

Aqua smiled "What can I say? I'm really good at reading people." Aqua gave a light laugh

"You're not angry because of how I treated Ven, are you? I understand if you are"

Aqua shook her head, her warm smile never leaving her face "Not at all" she placed her hand on Weiss's shoulder "Weiss, you've got a good heart. The fact that you came to me about this proves that. And I understand many of us may act childish sometimes, but that doesn't mean we haven't had our own struggles…" Aqua paused, remembering her time in the Realm of Darkness "…that we had to endure" she said with her head held low "So instead of pushing others away, we just smile and hope everything will fade away like a bad dream"

"Then….tell me what is it that Ven's hiding underneath!" Weiss demanded

Aqua took a moment and sighed "You want to know more about Ven's past?"

Weiss nodded "Yes" she said firmly

"Well…years ago, Ven was indeed Master Xehanort's pupil. But it wasn't the kind of friendly bond you may have had with Master Shirou. Xehanort exploited Ven. He used him in hopes that he would be able to forge the X – blade. But no matter how hard he tried, it always ended in failure" Aqua paused before continuing

"When Ven outlasted his use to Xehanort…he…Xehanort extracted the darkness in Ven's heart, hoping to find another solution. The result…put Ven in a comatose state…"

Weiss could see that Aqua didn't enjoy recalling this part of Ven's past. She had no idea that Ven went through such trauma. Weiss was caught off guard when Aqua's smile suddenly returned

"But, as luck would have it…someone was looking out for him. Ven's shattered heart came into contact with another's. Together, they helped repair Ven's heart, and brought him back"

"Xehanort dropped Ven off with my Master. Some time passed and Ven, Terra, and I became best friends." Aqua's expression suddenly became dark "But not everything can last forever" she began

"Eventually we came into conflict with Xehanort. We separated, each going on our own journeys. Our home was destroyed and our master was killed. When we found one another we stood as one, hoping to ensure that we would never be torn apart again. Unfortunately, not every story has a happy ending. We lost" Aqua said "And we each paid the ultimate price"

"For the last eleven years, Terra was left under Xehanorts control, I was stranded in the Realm of Darkness, and Ven…his heart was lost"

"I'm sorry. I had no idea. Weiss said

Aqua smiled "It's alright. I've already accepted what happened and I've moved past it. So has Terra. As long as we kept our hearts strong, nothing was going to break us" Aqua reassured

"But…what did you mean by Ven's heart being lost?" Weiss asked

A few moments passed before Aqua spoke again "During our confrontation with Xehanort, Ven fought the darkness that was taken from his heart. He defeated it, but at the cost of his own heart being shattered once again. To ensure his safety, his heart took refuge in the only place it could. Within the heart that saved him once before"

"Do you know whose heart it was that saved him?" Weiss asked

"Isn't it obvious? Aqua laughed. Weiss shook her head

"It was Sora" Aqua answered

"Sora! Sora was the one who saved Ven!? But how is that possible!? How come he never told us?"

"There's a lot of things Sora probably hasn't told you. He's made a lot of friends over his journeys, yes. But he has also made a lot of enemies. Sora's endured a lot to get where he is today. Just like you. Just like me…and just like Ven." She paused

"But yes, Ven took refuge within Sora's heart and remained there, alone in the dark for the past eleven years" Aqua remarked

Weiss felt a deep sense of guilt building up inside her. All the times she chastised Sora, making him out to be a bumbling fool and an incompetent warrior, even though she knew that wasn't true. She really had no idea that he would hide something like this from her. Weiss thought back to all of the stories Sora told her and the rest of team RWBY and JNPR. His journeys across the worlds, it all sounded so fantastical. But now, she didn't really know what to believe. What else could he be hiding? What demons lied beneath the surface?

Weiss realized that she might have been wrong to judge them all this time. Weiss gasped when she realized something about Ven that only now made sense

"If he was within Sora's heart all this time, then that means…"

"That when Sora first arrived her on Remnant, Ven was there too, watching."

"That's why he acted as though he knew me so well. He was there the whole time." Weiss concluded

Aqua nodded "As Sora got to know all of you, so did Ven. While you might have been a bit hostile and cold towards Sora, Ven tends to see the best in people. He saw something in you that…gave him hope" Aqua shrugged

Weiss looked away in shame "What could he possibly see in me? Most people just look at me and see the benefits of my family name."

"Ven's never been one for immense wealth, I don't really think he cares about that stuff"

"All I've ever been is cold to others. I constantly hold my head up higher because I think I'm better than everyone else! There's really nothing genuine about me. Weiss declared, critical of herself

"I appreciate my teammates and the friends that I've made at Beacon, but sometimes I just feel…that they don't understand me."

"Listen Weiss…" Aqua began "I think what you should do right now is to simply give Ven a chance. And maybe in time you'll see what he sees. And maybe you'll also see the best in Ven as well."

Weiss pondered for a moment but then came to her own conclusion. "Thank you Aqua, I think I know what to do."

* * *

 **Team RWBY's dorm**

After leaving Ven's room, Sora heard some commotion coming from Team RWBY's dorm. He went to investigate the disturbance and found Ruby, Yang, and Qrow huddled around the TV, playing what looked like some kind of fighting game.

"Oh come on just a little more. X, X, X, left, left, B, uppercut! Huh!? Nooooooo! Come on!" Ruby yelled as her characters head was seemingly chopped off

"Soaring Ninja Wins! Total annihilation!" the game announcer boomed

"Ha, what is that? Four in a row? Is that all you got kid?" Qrow laughed

Ruby pouted and started up a new game "I'll show you.

"Hey guys, what're you up to?" Sora asked

"Oh! Hey Sora! Were just chilling a bit. Ruby here is trying to beat Uncle Qrow at Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Death Battle 2"

"Wow that's quite the name" Sora laughed

"YAAANG! Be quiet back there! I'm losing my concentration!" Ruby shouted, which quickly changed into a bright smile upon noticing Sora "Hi Sora! How'd your talk with Ven go?" she asked, hoping to gain some insight to what was bothering Sora

"Oh…it was good. Thanks" Sora replied

"Drat" Ruby said under her breath

"What did you have to talk to Ven about?" Yang asked out of curiosity

"Oh…it was nothing…don't worry about it…just some keyblade…stuff" Sora said with uncertainty

"Oh Come on! Not again! Gah! Sora, do you wanna take a turn?" Ruby asked as she once again lost. Sora laughed as he saw Qrow's character stand atop Ruby's in a muscleman pose

Sora outstretched his arms and audibly yawned. "No thanks I think I'll just watch, you go ahead"

With that Sora sat down atop Weiss's bed, looking on as Ruby gave it another go. Zwei happily walked in and jumped up beside Sora, resting his head on his lap.

Sora smiled "Doesn't sound too bad of an idea buddy"

Within several minutes Sora had laid down and seemingly fallen asleep, messing up Weiss's sheets in the process. Zwei readjusted himself and now rested atop Sora's stomach

Ruby continued her relentless mission to topple Qrow's Soaring ninja

"You'll never beat me old man!" Ruby shouted defiantly

"Heh, your nothin' but talk, kid." Qrow retorted

Cheering from behind Yang threw out her support for her sister "You can do it, Ruby!"

Soaring Ninja Wins! Total annihilation!"

"Ouch. That one's gotta hurt Ruby, you were so close too" Yang said as she consoled her little sister

Turning to Ruby, Qrow smirked "By the way, don't ever call me "old"

Yang quickly pounced on Ruby, pushing her across the room and taking her spot in the game "My turn" she said excitedly. Ruby pooped up behind Qrow still smiling

"So…" Ruby began "…did you get in trouble with Ozpin?"

"Nah, me and Oz go way back. We're cool." Qrow answered

"Cool for an old guy" Yang scoffed

"Not funny"

"Hey, so, what are you doing here anyway?" Ruby asked "I thought Dad said you would be away on a mission for, like…ever"

Qrow smiled "A professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results, as soon as possible."

"Yea I get that. We're pretty much pros, too" Ruby added

Qrow narrowed his eyes and gave a sarcastic smile "Oh really?"

"Pssh, yeah! Read the news sometime! We totally saved Vale while you were gone." Yang said, her head held high

Qrow laughed "Funny, because I heard Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train. Oh, and don't forget about how the city was left in ruins after you barely stopped a psychotic Keyblade Wielder"

Yang threw her arms up in frustration after losing to Qrow's soaring ninja

"But they don't give out medals for "Almost" Qrow mocked

"They do, and they're called silver!" Ruby argued back

"Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick and we helped take down Xehanort. Crimes been down ever since." Yang added

Qrow sighed "Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you're not thinking like one. You really think four girls and their friends can stop all crime in the Kingdom?" Qrow asked

Ruby began poking her two index fingers together, feeling slightly embarrassed by the reality of what Qrow was saying "I mean, I did until you said that"

Qrow now had a serious expression on his face "Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed and Xehanort was defeated. It's stopped. Completely. No white Fang activity around the city. You cut off the heads of a King Taijitu, but now another ones filled the void and is calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick, metal head of his."

Ruby and Yang looked to each other in shock

"You know the General?" Yang asked

Qrow's smile retuned "Hey, I know everybody to some extent. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team to ever graduate Beacon!" Qrow reached into his back pocket and pulled out a photo containing four people standing along a tree.

On the far left, in a white cloak stood Ruby and Yang's mother, Summer Rose. Ruby's resemblance to her was uncanny. She had shoulder length black hair with red highlights, shining silver eyes, and a kind smile. Concealed behind her cloak was her weapon. Its hilt could barely be made out. Around her seemed to be a stain left behind from a glass.

On Summer's right stood Taiyang, Ruby and Yang's father. Yang bore a strong resemblance to him. She had his blonde hair and iliac eyes. He wore a similar attire as Yang did. Around his arms were his own weaponized gauntlets, The Dragon's Fists. He stood back to back with Summer

To Taiyang's right, stood a woman who closely resembled both Qrow and Yang. She wore a red and black dress with a pair of red gauntlets and thigh length black boots. On her side she held her sheath for her own weapon. She was smiling happily.

Yang found herself staring at the woman. 'That's her. The woman who saved me on the train. My birth mother, Raven' Yang thought to herself

When Qrow noticed Yang's reaction, he shifted his thumb to cover Raven's face

Qrow sighed, remembering his former team "Team STRQ. That when I met your parents you know. Summer was our team's leader and she was…" Qrow trailed off as he looked past Yang and Ruby and towards the currently sleeping Sora.

He laughed lightly, alerting the two sisters. When they noticed him looking at Sora, Yang asked "What's so funny?"

Qrow pointed to Sora "That boy, heh heh. Look at him, sleeping away without a worry in the world. Reminds me of your mom. Summer. You know, when it came to being a huntress she worked as hard as she could. She really was incredible. She made the rest of us look like amateurs" Qrow laughed again "But there were some times when I'd come back to the dorm and I'd just find her there, sleeping away."

Qrow smiled "Lazy bum. We had some good times, your parents and I. We were the talk of the school. We were even pretty well known outside the kingdom as well." Qrow said

"Well known for crummy fashion sense!" Ruby joked

"Hey, we looked good" Qrow shot back "And I have a number of inappropriate stories to back that up." Qrow placed the photo back in his pocket and got up to leave "Bu ill save those for when you're older."

"Ew, gross!" Ruby said in disgust

Qrow laughed "Anyway, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch a kids. You're gonna cramp my style." Qrow paused "Look, just remember that you've still got a long way to go. And don't think that graduating means you're done" Qrow pointed out

"Every day out there is worth a week in this place. You two, you're gonna go far. But only if you keep learning. If you never stop moving forward." And with that Qrow left.

* * *

 **Ven's room**

Ven was laying in his bed, twirling his keyblade around in his hands. He had a lot of free time on his hands and was actually getting pretty good at doing different tricks with it.

The sudden knock at his door pulled him out of his thoughts and he accidently lost control of his keyblade, sending it straight into a lamp.

"Damn it!" Ven cursed "One sec!" he called out

He got up and quickly picked up the broken pieces and threw them away before he approached the door.

Upon opening the door, he was surprised to see that it was actually Weiss who knocked. Ven quickly grew nervous and panicked internally 'Oh what did I do this time? I just can't catch a break!'

"Hello Ven, I was wondering if you had some time to go out somewhere" Weiss said politely

The sudden gesture caught Ven off guard a bit. "Um…uh…ok, yea I have free right now. Where were you planning on going?" Ven asked

"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to Vale for some coffee." Weiss asked, giving a warm smile.

"Um…" Ven contemplated what this could mean, so he blurted out "Weiss, is this like a…date?"

Weiss's face flushed red from embarrassment "A…date…no…yes…I mean NO you dolt! It's just coffee!"

'I blew it. She was actually nice to me and I blew it' Ven thought

"I'm sorry! I wasn't sure! I didn't mean-"

Up, up, up! It's alright, ok!" Weiss interjected, and breathed deeply "Come on" she huffed

Ven and Weiss headed to the shuttles and departed for Vale in silence. Ven was too nervous to open his mouth, afraid of being yelled at. Weiss didn't want to put any more of a bad impression on Ven, so she stayed silent.

When they arrived in Vale, the city was bustling. People crowded the sidewalks, making their way to one place or another. Atlesian soldiers walked amongst the streets, accompanied by Atlesian knights.

Weiss led Ven to small coffee shop in the Eastern district. Ven followed Weiss in, noticing the shops name to be "Adel Family coffee shop" Ven entered noticing a familiar Bunny eared Faunus working behind the counter. She noticed the pair and smiled excitedly "Hi Weiss! How are you today?"

"Hi Velvet. I'm splendid, thanks for asking. How have you been?" Weiss asked

Velvet looked around the shop, noting the lack of customers "I'm alright, it's just been a slow day, not much excitement. Anyway, is there anything I can get you today?"

'I'll just have the usual, thanks. What about you Ven?" Weiss asked

"Oh…um…I'll just have what she's having!" Ven muttered

Velvet looked at Ven curiously "Ven? I thought you were Roxas."

"Oh…sorry. Yea Roxas and I look alike so it's a common mistake. Don't worry about it!" Ven exclaimed

"Ok, oh can you remember to thank Roxas for the pictures when you see him, they turned out great!" Velvet smiled brightly

"Yea, sure no problem"

"Anyway, I get those two up in a jiffy. You two can sit down and I'll bring them over when they're ready!"

Ven and Weiss sat down at the nearest available table. Ven began to twirl his thumbs, still nervous to say anything. Weiss gazed out to her right, watching the busy street, and thinking how she wanted to approach this situation.

After several minutes of silence, Velvet walked over with their coffees ready. After heading back behind the counter, Weiss was about to take a sip but was cut off by Ven

"Sooo…" he began "…I'm just gonna come out and ask it" he paused "What is this all about Weiss? One moment you can't stand the sight of me and the next were going out for coffee. I'm just…not sure I'm following correctly.

Weiss raised an eyebrow "Well that was rather rude" She took a sip from her coffee and placed it down on the table. She breathed deeply and began "Well, the truth is that I wanted to do this so I could actually…formally apologize about how things started out between us. I was wrong to lash out at you and judge you without at least giving you a chance. It was clear that I hurt you and you didn't deserve it. So…I'm sorry" Weiss finished

Ven remained frozen for a few moments but then smiled brightly "Thanks, Weiss. I really appreciate it. But no worries. Maybe I should be the one apologizing. I said some things that someone shouldn't really say when you first meet them. I acted like a fool and I didn't really take in account your past when I said them. Guess I'm still not that great with other people."

"It's ok. I understand. You had to go through a lot to get here." Weiss said

Ven's eyes widened a bit "What do you mean?" he asked nervously

"Aqua told me everything." She admitted

Ven took a moment and sighed in defeat "Of course she did. What did she tell you?"

"About Xehanort and what he did to you. And how your heart was lost" Weiss admitted. She cringed as she saw the now pained expression of Ven

"You were really all alone inside Sora's heart for eleven years?" she asked

Ven nodded in silence

"I'm sorry, I can't even imagine what that must have felt like. But in a way I guess I understand what that might feel like. Most of life I was only allowed within my family's estate, never really seeing what else lied beyond its walls. Those on the estate…whenever they looked at me…they didn't see me…they only saw my father. And it wasn't like I actually got to know most of the people there. Most would come and go. Some would be thrown out. And some…were taken. It made life difficult growing up." Weiss admitted

"The night we met, what I said about how it must have been cool to be an heiress and stuff like that, I wanna take all that stuff back. I was being stupid, and that stuff never really mattered to me. I don't really care about wealth or anything like that, that was never my concern.

Weiss smiled, recalling Aqua's words 'Aqua was right'

"Well it at least explains how you knew so much about me. You were there the whole time, inside Sora."

Ven nodded, his smile returning "Yea, sorry about Sora. I know he can be a handful sometimes. He can be pretty childish"

"And you aren't?" Weiss asked sarcastically

"Well, I can't make any promises!" Ven joked

The pair then began to laugh, lifting whatever tension remained between the two.

"Let's start over then!" Ven proclaimed

Ven stood from his chair "Ventus Lumen, but most people just call me Ven. Energetic speedster keyblade warrior; Have no idea how to talk, act, or dress fancy" Ven followed it up with his attempt at a bow, almost falling over in the process "At your service"

Weiss actually found herself giggling a bit. "You're such a dolt" she smiled and also stood from her chair "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company. And I suppose I can be…difficult at times" she finished her reintroduction with a curtsy.

When the two sat down Weiss noticed that her scroll was ringing. She pulling it out only to find that it was her father calling.

She gritted her teeth in anger and closed the scroll.

Ven noticed the sudden change "It was your father wasn't it?" he asked

Weiss shook her head "It's not important"

Ven waited a few moments and then spoke again "Hey Weiss?"

"Hmm?"

"If you don't mind me asking, as an heiress, you could have done anything with your life. What made you want to be a huntress?" Ven questioned

Weiss sighed "It's not that simple Ven" she said with her head down "I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized that I could fight there was no question about what I wanted. It was my duty. I didn't want my legacy to that of my father's. What he's done with the company…isn't what being a Schnee means. His money is nothing but tainted and I don't want his charity"

"Though you did seem a little distraught not being able to pay for your meal earlier" Ven added

"Oh! I forgot about that." Weiss averted her gaze

"Did you do anything to your father that would make him do that?" Ven asked

"Well that's the thing, I'm not really sure what I did!"

Ven scratched his chin "Well I wouldn't really know what that must feel like, but it must have been embarrassing."

"It was! I have no idea why he would cut me off like that!" Weiss responded

"Maybe…maybe so would stop avoiding him and call home

Weiss looked at her scroll. She couldn't believe that was all. Her father wouldn't do that because he missed her. 'How could he miss me if he didn't even know I was around in the first place?'

"Hey Weiss, do you want my opinion?" Ven asked

Weiss looked up curiously, waiting for his response

"Well, despite how much your father tried to control you, you went out of your way to go against him and forge your own path. That no matter what, he wouldn't define you. And throughout it all you've never abandoned your family's pride. It's one of the things I've always admired about you" he admitted

Ven's praise made Weiss blush "Thank you" she said, her smile slowly returning

"So it sounds to me like you have two choices in front of you. You can either call him, beg for his money back, and explain why you want to study here at Beacon than at Atlas."

Weiss found herself despising that option

"Or..." Ven began "You could continue to explore Remnant, discovering more about the world, and honestly, more about yourself" Ven finished

Weiss just kept on smiling. Was this really the same boy that she lashed out against?

The sudden ringing of her Scroll startled Weiss. When she looked to see who it was, she wasn't surprised to see that it was once again her father

Ven smiled "I guess now's the time to choose. No pressure, right?" he said with a shrug

Weiss looked at her scroll. This is what Aqua meant when she said that Ven saw the best in others. I'm sorry father, but this is my story

With that she closed her scroll and put it away. She looked to Ven, still blushing a bit "Thanks Ven. I was really wrong about you." She admitted

"The first time we met or the second first time we met?" Ven joked

"Nope. Never mind, you're still a dolt"

* * *

Watching from the rooftop of a nearby building stood Shirou Emiya. He was kneeling along the corner, overlooking the exchange between Ven and Weiss. A second man walked up beside him. He was tall, had red hair, and a short red beard.

"Hey Archer, do you think we could stop by a souvenir shop when were done here?" the man asked

Shirou, or rather Archer, looked to the man with a quizzical look

"Are you serious right now, Rider? A souvenir shop? What the hell could you possibly want?" Archer demanded

"Perhaps they have a shirt with Remnant in front. That way it will be as though I carry the entire world upon my chest!" Rider happily exclaimed

Archer rolled his eyes "That's foolish"

"Perhaps to you! But to me, it means everything! Also, why with the code names. Someone as glorious as myself should not be constrained to a name as simple as "Rider"

Rider raised his arms victoriously "I am Iskandar! The King of Conquerors!" he shouted "Anything less would belittle my glory!"

"Why don't you just yell it to the entire damn world you idiot!? We have our orders, it's time to get serious." Archer insisted

Rider Laughed "YOU have your orders! I only tagged along for the ride" Riders expression suddenly became dark "And it is rather unwise to speak down to a King in such a manner"

Archer gave Rider a cocky grin "Speaking down? I thought I was speaking up to a King. You are rather tall."

Rider stared at Archer for a few moments before bursting into laughter "Ha ha ha! You never fail to amuse me Archer, you have spirit! Great men need spirit!"

"Hmm. Thanks. Don't worry I'll get you the damn shirt one day, I promise"

Rider grinned "I'll hold you to that"

Turning back to the coffee shop, Archer looked on as Ven and Weiss were happily conversing

Now serious, Rider asked "Is that the target? Who's the little whelp with them?"

"Don't know, don't care" Archer said

"You know, your master really makes you take on some dirty jobs. They're only children" Rider remarked

"I know. That's why I don't particularly like him" Archer responded

Rider seemed amused by Archer response "Well you could always join my army." Rider suggested

"I'm not so sure he would really like that." Archer focused on the coffee shop and extended his arms outward "Trace On" he whispered

Suddenly a Metallic black bow began to materialize in his hands. He drew back the bow and materialized an arrow, ready to fire.

Though, it is jobs like this that I look forward to. Get in, eliminate the target, and get out."

"Are you sure you're okay with stuff like this, killing children?"

"I'll never be okay with stuff like this, every time I close my eyes, all I see are their faces. But…" Archer paused "…nobody will miss Ventus"

And with that, he let the arrow fly.

* * *

 **BOOM! Archer and Rider enter the Fight! I dont know why i just made a Super Smash Bros. reference, dont ask. I just say whatever's on my mind**

 **Anyway, hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter is gonna be a fun one. The first confrontation with Archer. And Rider as Well! Just who is Archer's master? What is their goal in all of this.**

 **Please Fav, Follow, and Review!**

 **Next Chapter: Bone of my Sword**

 **Until Next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**

 **Until next time**


	13. Bone of my Sword

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY, or the Fate series**

 **They are owned by Square Enix, Rooster Teeth, and Type-Moon respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 12 – Bone of my sword

 **Adel Family coffee shop, Eastern Vale**

Ven and Weiss were sitting together, now having established a friendly relationship. The two teens didn't start off well but have since found common ground the two can bond on.

Weiss was drinking her coffee and listening to some of the tales that Ven was telling. Some of the things he's seen were just ridiculous, Weiss thought. Stories of making giant ice cream towers in Disney Town, soaring around in space with a genetic experiment, and even fighting pirates in a place called Neverland. But perhaps the story she had the hardest time believing was his current one.

"So your telling me that you found yourself in this world…uh…what was it called again?" Weiss asked

"The Castle of Dreams" Ven replied

Weiss smirked "Ok, the Castle of Dreams…and you found yourself…the size of a mouse."

"Yep that's right" He answered

"Oh come on, you're not serious"

"I'm serious! It was crazy! I helped a mouse named Jaq prepare a dress and then I fought a cat named Lucifer! It was Crazy!" Ven insisted

Weiss shook her head and smiled "You keyblade wielders really are weird"

Ven laughed "Hey at least I know the kitchen isn't called the food room and I don't refer to one my many butlers as "the Cake butler" Ven joked

"Hey! That's not fair! I was always told as a kid that was called the food room. And don't speak lowly about the cake butler. He was my favorite." Weiss shot back, her face red from embarrassment

"Besides I…" Weiss stopped as she looked past Ven out the window. In the distance she could see a small shining object atop a rooftop

Ven noticed her sudden reaction and turned to see what she was looking at.

As he turned around, he jumped up as an arrow flew straight through the window, landing next to their table. Others in the shop noticed the object and looked on curiously

Ven and Weiss looked out the window, their weapons ready in case anything else comes. But they saw nothing. Everything was silent.

"An arrow? What the hell?" Ven asked as he slowly approached it. "Ven, be careful…something's…not right" Weiss pleaded. Ven found himself mesmerized by the arrow. It was clear that it wasn't a normal arrow. It was a long glowing arrow. Red energy seemed to emanate off of it.

Weiss was looking at the energy flowing off of the arrow. Something seemed familiar about it. 'It's almost like it was…red dust?'

Weiss's eyes widened in horror as she saw the arrow begin to give off a high pitch whistle and glow brighter.

Weiss quickly turned to face the rest of the shop "Everyone get down now!" she shouted

Ven turned curiously "Huh, what's wron…."

Everything went white as the arrow detonated.

….

….

….

….

After a few moments, Ven found himself on the ground. He slowly rose, regaining his bearings.

"What…what happened? The arrow exploded? How am I…?" Ven looked around him and saw that he was surrounded by what looked like a large shell of ice. Ven turned to see Weiss planting her rapier straight into the ground, dust flowing from its tip.

She turned, shooting him a concerned look "Ven, are you ok?"

Ven dusted off some of his clothes "Yea I'm fine. Are you…"

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" she barked

Weiss lifted her rapier and looked on in horror as the shell of ice began to melt, revealing what remained of the coffee shop.

The shop was in a complete state of ruin, its front completely blown open. Burn marks could be seen all across the floor and ceiling. People were scattered around the shop, some clutching themselves in pain and some on the ground, motionless.

Ven ran to the counter where a pile of rubble had pinned down some of the other people in the shop. "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead" he pleaded. Ven reached down and began checking their pulses. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt their low but constant heartbeats.

"They're hurt, but they're alive!"

Ven turned around to see Weiss pulling Velvet out from behind the counter. A stream of blood running down her face, and her eyes closed

"Is she…?" Ven was too afraid to ask.

"She's ok, just unconscious" Weiss reassured. "What was that thing?" she asked

Ven gritted his teeth "I don't know, but I'm about to go and find out" Ven proclaimed, as he turned and ran out of the shop into the open street

"Ven wait! Don't just run off without a plan!" Weiss pleaded, unable to stop him

In the street, Ven looked for the perpetrator, hoping to confront them before any more people got hurt.

"You really shouldn't have survived. You were supposed to be an easy job. This…complicates things" a voice rung out

Ven looked up to the source of the voice and saw a man standing atop the rooftop of the building facing directly opposite from the coffee shop. He held his bow to his side. His red coat flowing behind him.

"I don't know who you are but if you want me come and get me!" Ven yelled, summoning Wayward wind

The man backed up a bit and began to sprint towards the edge of the roof

'He's gonna jump?!' Ven thought

As the man jumped into the air, he seemingly landed in a large chariot, flying through the air as two bulls carried it forward. In its front stood a large man in bronze armor.

Ven was both amazed and confused by the sight. "They're flying…bulls? What the hell?" he muttered. Now standing in the back of the chariot, the man in red readied his bow and began to fire off one arrow after another.

Ven readied his Wayward Wind, cutting down the arrows before they reached him. One after another Ven would cut down the arrows, all the while trying to focus on the chariot as it soared around the skies.

"There's just no end to this! Just how many arrow does this guy have?" Ven said as he just cut down three more arrows. "What's with this gu-Aghhh!" Ven looked to his shoulder, noticing an arrow sticking straight out. 'Dammit I got sloppy, need to pay attention.' Ven grunted as he pulled the arrow and threw it aside

He looked up, seeing the man directly overhead now. He began drawing back his bow once more, this time the arrow was glowing a bright red.

As the man fired the arrow, dozens more began to materialize all at once, and fired off straight towards Ven's direction

Ven simply stood there, frozen. For Ven it looked as though the onslaught of arrows blotted out the sun, surrounding him in darkness. He wanted to run, he wanted to get away while he could. But his muscles just wouldn't move.

Ven readied himself, keeping his Keyblade close, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the arrows to land

After a few moments Ven opened his eyes to see Weiss now in front of him, Myrtenaster held in front. A force field emanating off of the blade, knocking down the volley of arrows with little effort.

"You idiot, don't just run in like that! What were you thinking?" Weiss barked

"Uh…" While Ven didn't like her calling him an idiot, but he could see by the look of her eyes she was less angry and more concerned about his safety. Ven smiled "Yea…I don't know what I was thinking, thanks for the save" Ven admitted

"Guh! Just don't make a habit of this!" Weiss looked up at the chariot, seeing the man in red. Her eyes widened in realization as she recognized the man immediately

The man in red seemed to look on with little emotion, unfazed by the sudden intrusion of his battle. He turned to the man driving the chariot "Rider, bring us down"

Rider grinned "Very well, Archer!" He signaled the bulls with their reins "Children of Zeus! Down!" he commanded.

The chariot flew around until it landed promptly right in the middle of the street, about twenty yards away from Ven and Weiss

Archer jumped out of the chariot and began walking slowly towards Ven and Weiss.

'What's he doing? Where's his bow?' Ven thought "he's unarmed. Now's our chan-"Ven was suddenly cut off as Weiss walked forward, "Master Shirou!" she called out

The man in question stopped in his tracks and tilted his head slightly, confused.

"You know him?" Ven asked

"Master Shirou, stop, it's me!" Weiss shouted. Weiss found herself somewhat happy to see her old teacher once again, but as she looked around and saw the destruction he was causing, she became infuriated

Shirou looked at Weiss for a few moments, as if analyzing her. His eyes were narrowed and cold, but soon softened a bit

"Marie?" he questioned

Weiss was deeply disheartened by his response. 'After all he did for me, he doesn't even remember me?' she thought.

"No…it's Weiss! Weiss Schnee! Please remember me! You used to call me Snowflake when I was little! You taught me how to read and write a-and play the piano! You taught me how to fight." Weiss wiped her eyes as she felt tears begin to form. She waited years to finally see her old teacher again. She wanted to show him how much stronger she had gotten. But most of all, she wanted the chance to give him the goodbye that she wasn't able to do so long ago. Though she felt it was cheesy, she felt that she just needed to.

Shirou looked to Rider and shrugged. Turning back to Weiss, his expression became cold and distant "I'm sorry Miss Schnee, but perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else." He paused "This is the first time I've ever met you. Though, that is the problem with time." He sighed "I'm constantly moving in the wrong direction"

'That's not true. I spent so much time with you learning. We smiled and laughed at the world. You were always there for me when my own father wasn't. You…you have to remember'

* * *

 **Flashback to The Schnee estate, 9 years ago**

The beginning of the week was always Weiss's favorite time. It was the first day of her weekly lessons with her teacher, Shirou, and it was also time for her to escape her father. She would always wait by the door and happily greet Shirou, and lead him to the room her father provided for her lessons. It was a rather large room, its walls colored a plain white. Light radiating through the windows, shining down on Weiss, almost as if it was inviting her to the outside world. She would sometimes find herself basking in its warmth, wishing to escape from the prison that was her own home

Shirou would usually have her start out her days with some advanced reading, mathematical, and writing lessons, but today he felt the need to change things up.

Instead she was going to be playing on the piano. Whenever they spent time playing the piano, Shirou would usually provide a small piano for her to play on, but this time he motioned for her to play on the piano that was in the corner of the room. Weiss seemed a little distressed by this idea

"But Master Shirou, that's my father's piano. He told me that I can't touch it no matter what. It…it's against the rules!" she pleaded

Shirou walked up to her and knelt down. He looked to the piano and then back at the little girl in front of him. He gave Weiss a warm smile and said "Oh no…the rules! My only weakness!"

Weiss giggled as Shirou pretended to clutch his heart in pain. As happy as Shirou appeared to be, Weiss always felt that there was something he was hiding underneath.

"Come on, it'll be fun! Plus your never gonna get far in life if you don't bend the rules sometimes!" he said

"But…!"

"Up, up, up, less buts and more piano playing. Come on, get a move on, Snowflake!" he declared

Weiss pouted but conceded. She walked over to the piano and began to play some of the sheet music that was provided

After some time playing the music Weiss became restless. There wasn't much time left until their lesson time would be over and there was something else she wanted to be doing instead.

Shirou was standing behind Weiss. His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed. If Weiss didn't know any better she would have thought he was sleeping, but she knew that wasn't the case.

Shirou was simply smiling and listening to the melodious tunes of the song. He seemed to cringe a little bit whenever Weiss missed a note, but he didn't stop her. Before she came to the end of the sheet music, she stopped halfway and turned to face Shirou.

His eyes shot open, confused about the sudden absence of the music. "Huh? Why'd you stop? You were doing great!"

Weiss averted her gaze and began to mumble, unsure of what to say "Well…um…I…I was wondering if…"

Shirou sighed "Ok we can practice fighting if you want" he said, knowing full well what was bothering her

Weiss shot up in excitement "Really!?"

Shirou put his hands behind his back and suddenly pulled out two rapiers He smiled "Come on, get yourself ready"

Weiss took the rapier and gazed at it in awe "Where were you keeping these? I didn't see you walk in with them."

"Sorry that's a secret. If I told you it would ruin the magic of it. Now…" Shirou held his rapier out in front of him "Get in position"

Weiss kept her eyes on Shirou and began to replicate his movements

"Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward" he instructed

Weiss mimicked the his stance

Shirou turned and laughed "Good job, but move your foot back just a bit"

Weiss panicked and began to shift her foot around. She wanted it to be perfect. When she thought it was in the correct position, she looked up nervously "Like this?"

"Perfect" he confirmed "Now slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike." Shirou held his rapier in his left hand. In one fluid motion he held the blade on his right side, preparing to strike

Weiss replicated his motions and held the blade steadily.

"Now!" he called out

The two of them began to unleash a series of strikes against a dummy that Shirou had set up beforehand. When they were done, Shirou smiled and laughed "Well done! I can see you've been practicing" He bent down and ruffled Weiss's hair

She was about to thank him until she was alerted to a sudden commotion coming from the hall. Weiss could hear the front door opening and slamming shut.

"God dammit! Those filthy Faunus criminals! YAAARGHH!" The sound of a table being thrown could be heard.

Weiss began to cower back in fear as she heard more and more things being broken. "Father…"

Shirou came beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Weiss looked up curiously.

He simply smiled "Don't worry, let him calm down. I'm here in case anything happens"

"Promise?" she asked

He grabbed her hand and wrapped her pinky finger with his "Pinky promise"

Weiss began to relax as the sounds of her father's tirade began to dissipate. Shirou always displayed a strong level of caring and warmth. Something that was lacking in her life

End Flashback

* * *

 **Present day**

But she felt none of that warmth now.

The way he looked at her, it was like she wasn't even there. He looked right through her, ignoring her completely. His cold and narrow eyes struck fear into Weiss's heart. This was no longer the man she used to know. This was somebody completely different.

She didn't want to fight him if that's what it came down to, but looking around at the people that he hurt already, she couldn't let him get away.

She didn't understand how he became the way he is now, but she wouldn't stand by and let him hurt Ven. But if there were some way to get through to him, she had to try.

"But…Master Shirou…" she pleaded

Rider shot up "Silence Girl! Perhaps it is time you leave and return to the flower fields. A little girl like you shouldn't be here!"

Weiss stomped in anger "Why…you….!" She readied Myrtenaster and lunged towards Rider, her temper getting the better of her

Rider stood in place, grinning "Oh the girl has quite a temper!"

Before she could reach Rider, Shirou suddenly warped in front of him. His sudden appearance and willingness to stand in Weiss's way stopped her dead in her tracks. Shirou placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on the tip of her rapier. Weiss felt herself fly back as he pushed her with little effort. At the same time he flipped her rapier out of her hands and into the air

When Weiss recovered, Shirou caught the rapier midair and began observing it

Weiss gritted her teeth in frustration

"What happened to charging in without a plan?" Ven mocked

He froze in place as Weiss gave him a soul crushing glare

"Never mind, forget I said anything" Ven whimpered

"Hmm" Shirou observed "A Multi Action Dust Rapier. Truly remarkable" he said as he pulled back the grip revealing the revolver holding the blade's dust cartridges. "Designed to utilize dust without destroying the blade by channeling it at its lowest output, thus allowing the energy to safely flow through the blade without the fear of kickback."

Ven and Weiss looked to each other curiously "Is that all correct?" Ven asked

"Yea, every bit of it" she confirmed

Shirou began to shake the blade a bit, almost like a toy "Its light enough to execute swift and precise strikes, with the right training at least. Although…it is rather easy to disarm if not careful. Case in point" he said, pointing to himself.

He placed it on the ground and kicked it back to Weiss.

Weiss reached down and readied her rapier.

Shirou sighed "That is a remarkable weapon you have there, Miss Schnee, but I am sorry to disappoint you. I am not the man you claim me to be. I am known as Archer, and if you value your life, you will leave immediately. You were not my target. That boy is" Archer warned

"Ven? What do you want with Ven?" she demanded

Archer remained silent

"Tell me! Now!"

"Believe me, if it were up to me, I would never do something like this. But my Master sent me, so I have little choice in the matter."

"You're Master?" Weiss questioned "Who sent you? Please Shirou! If you're in trouble we can help you!"

Archer opened his mouth but no words came. Archer gritted his teeth and began to clutch his heart. He seemed to be struggling to speak. A red mark on his hand emitted a bright red glow, and Archer returned to his normal calm persona

"He looks like he's in pain" Ven said

"As nice as that sounds, Weiss. You're not in any position to help me. The sooner you get out of the way, the sooner you never have to see me again. I came here with a job, and you're not a part of it, so I'll let you say goodbye to that boy. I'll give you that much.

"No!" she declared "I won't let you hurt Ven!"

Archer looked down in disappointment "Very well, you leave me no choice"

Ven suddenly realized something. The white hair. The grey eyes. The red coat. It was him. "You! You're the man from Sora's dream aren't you?" Ven demanded

"Sora's dream?" Weiss asked. 'Sora knows Shirou as well?' Ven shot Weiss a quick look, as if telling her 'it's complicated and I'll tell you later'

"Sora?" Archer asked. "Of course you know Sora…"

"How do you know Sora?" Weiss shouted

"I don't. I have no interest in that boy. And yet...that name keeps popping up and I don't know why. Not that it matters."

Archer began to walk towards Ven and Weiss. His clanking of his metallic boots as they hit the ground was the only noise that could be heard

"Trace on"

He extended his arms to his sides, blue electricity began to swirl around them. Suddenly a pair of short swords materialized from the electricity. Archer took the blades and held them tightly

"What the hell? Was he always able to do that?" Ven asked

"I've never seen him do that before" Weiss admitted

Archer suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a small gust of wind

"Where did he-"Ven could see in the corner of his eye as Archer seemingly reappeared, ready to strike.

Ven brought up his keyblade, blocking Archer's swords. Archer began to attack Ven relentlessly, never ceasing for a moment.

Archer swung his right blade in a downward strike, coming in contact directly with Ven's Keyblade. Archer spun his left blade towards Ven's stomach. Ven noticed the position of the blade in time and jumped back, avoiding the potentially fatal strike.

Ven could already tell this was going to be a hard fight. He was at a disadvantage. Archer was much stronger then he was and can easily hold him at a standstill with just one of his swords. If he was too busy focusing on just one sword, Archer can just strike with the other.

"Yaaagh" Weiss screamed as she charged forward with her rapier. Archer turned in time to avoid her initial strike. Weiss continued to pursue him, slashing and stabbing in whatever opening she could find.

Archer, the entire time, remained silent and calm, bobbing left and right, and easily avoiding Weiss's attacks.

But Weiss didn't stop. She readied her rapier in her signature thrusting motion and began charging forward. Archer jumped back and leaped into the air, throwing his swords at Weiss with incredible speed.

As they approached, Weiss activated a glyph, sending her backwards in order to avoid being hit. Still in the air, Archer materialized two more swords and threw them as well. He quickly materialized another pair and threw them once more.

Weiss now found herself running to the side in order to avoid the four blades. The first blade narrowly missed her. The second seemed to ricochet off the ground and lodged itself right behind where Weiss was running. The third and fourth blades seemed to miss completely and flew back into the air.

Weiss prepared herself as Archer landed. But before she could register his next move, he disappeared. Weiss looked around desperately for any sign of him, but found none. She wasn't ready when he suddenly reappeared directly in front of her. Weiss wasn't fast enough to block his next attack.

Archer lunged forward and grabbed Weiss's face with his bare hands. With enough force he threw her into the ground, the impact strong enough to shatter cement. Weiss cried in pain, but luckily her aura took most of the hit.

Archer lifted her up, tossing her in the air like a paper weight. He spun around with his leg extended, and connected with Weiss's gut. Weiss felt the air get knocked out of her as the force from his kick sent her flying through the front window of a nearby shop

"Archer! That was the souvenir shop! Now it's ruined!" Rider called out

"Arrgh, would you shut up already about the souvenir!" Archer snarled back

"You're not getting away!" Ven shouted

Archer turned, almost uninterested at this point. He shook his head "Pathetic" Ven noticed as he made a downward swooping motion with his right hand.

Ven looked up in horror to see half a dozen broadswords directly above him. Ven rolled to his right, avoided the falling swords. He kept running to Archer "Ars Arcanum!"

Ven's Wayward Wind began to be enveloped by golden light, ready to unleash its power upon its enemy. Ven swung his keyblade, making sure to make the most of this combo. Unfortunately, like Weiss, he was finding no luck landing any hits on him.

Upon Ven's last attack from his combo, instead of simply blocking the attack, Archer spun around Ven. Now back to back, Archer turned his right blade and sunk it directly into Ven's lower back

Ven screamed from the intense pain and fell to his knees. He turned to block Archer but he simply swatted his keyblade away.

Archer spun his blade and held it overhead.

'This is it? This is how my life ends? Against somebody I don't even know. Sent to kill me against his own wishes. At least…I can die knowing he won't go after Weiss'

Archer brought the blade down

…

…

…

Only to be stopped by the appearance of a large glyph. As Archer's blade came down, it detonated, sending him flying back only to be safely caught and set down by Rider, who was now laughing

Ven slowly rose and saw in the distance Weiss rising out of the broken souvenir shop, wiping blood as it dripped down her lip "Get away from him!"

"Well it seems these children have some fight in them, they're making a fool out of you Archer" Rider mocked

"It's hardly even a fight, I'm trying to keep collateral damage to a minimum" Archer shot back

"Hmm, then why did you blow up the coffee shop in the first place? You could have easily made the shot and avoided all of this"

Archer stayed silent and averted his gaze, looking to the ground

"So silence is your answer. I'm seeing a completely new side to you Archer, I'm not quite sure what to make of it."

Both Archer and Rider then fixated their gaze on a fast moving object moving directly past them. Weiss continuously summoned glyphs, propelling her forward at an incredible speed. She stopped beside Ven, standing ready with her rapier

She turned, seeing Ven clutch his back in pain, Archer's sword still lodged in him. Weiss got behind him and clutched the sword "This is gonna hurt, ill pull it on 3, ok?" Ven nodded "Ok one…tw-AAGGH!" Ven screamed as Weiss yanked the blade from his back

"What happened to three!?" Ven shrieked

"I lied" Weiss said

Ven breathed deeply, trying to ignore the pain "Its ok, thanks. Ill cast a cure. "Heal!" Ven shouted, the green energy flowing around him.

"Alright now we gotta-Argh!" Ven cried in pain

"What…what is it?" Weiss asked. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the wound from Archer's sword still on Ven's body

"It didn't heal?" she said

"I'll be ok, don't worry-Guh!" Ven whimpered as Weiss lightly placed the tip of her rapier on Ven's wound. A sudden cold sensation began to cover the region, and when she lifted the blade, a patch of ice was now covering the area.

Ven looked to Weiss curiously

She smiled "I used some of my ice dust to cover up the wound, it's not much but it should help"

Ven stretched out his back, getting used to the cold sensation "It stings a bit, but it's definitely better. Thanks, Weiss"

Weiss gave him a warm smile and nodded

Archer began walking slowly toward them once more

"If we're gonna do this we need to do this together" Weiss proclaimed

Ven grinned "You got it! I got a plan"

Archer grimaced and materialized four more short swords. He now held a pair in each hand. But instead of using them, he simply threw them up in the air, letting them soar out of sight.

Archer pulled his arms in to his chest "Trace on"

Two blades materialized on demand

"Trace: Overedge"

The two blades began to morph, small spikes began to grow around them, extending the blades' length to that of a greatsword.

Archer stopped as he waited for the children to make their first move.

Weiss lunged forward, Myrtenaster held in front. Archer simply stood, waiting.

She unleashed a flurry of quick strikes. But her goal wasn't to land a deciding blow, just to buy enough time. After Archer bobbed to the side, he raised his swords overhead, swinging in a downward strike.

Weiss did several flips backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. When she readied her blade, Archer failed to notice a glyph activate behind her. Sprinting from behind Weiss, Ven used the glyph to launch himself into the air

"Alright here we go! Wingblade!" Ven shouted, activating his most powerful command style. Six swords of light appeared along his back, ready to sink their teeth into Archer

Weiss stared on in awe, she had no idea Ven could do something like that. He never used it in their fight. She couldn't help admire how the light radiated off of him, projecting a completely different aura than the carefree goofball he usually was.

Archer looked up in time to block an overhead strike from Ven. Their clash created small shockwaves that emanated throughout the street. One after another Ven would spin around, grabbing his swords hoping to find an opening.

Ven flipped around grabbing two of his swords and brought them overhead, locking him and Archer to a complete halt.

Weiss took this opportunity to strike him while he was defenseless. Archer saw her but was still locked in place with Ven's Wingblades. Weiss lunged forward, bringing her rapier straight to Archer's right arm.

'Finally! A direct hit! No…wait…what?' While Weiss's rapier did indeed make contact with Archer's defenseless arm, it did not pierce through. Where the red sleeve of his coat should have been was now a complete metal arm. Silver linings ran up and down it, decorating it with intricate designs.

"What?" she asked, confused at what he had suddenly created

"Airgetlam" Archer whispered. The arm began to emit a strong glow and blasted both Ven and Weiss back. Archer dismissed the metal arm, watching as it faded away.

When Ven recovered, he immediately charged forward. Archer swung his swords to the side, only hitting air as Ven jumped up and quickly grabbed his Wingblades. He threw them down and lodged them into the ground. Archer looked around at the blades surrounding him. For a moment he actually looked shocked to see the blades begin to glow brightly and expand. The blades suddenly created pillars of light and converged on Archer, creating a small blast.

Ven summoned Wayward Wind and waited for the dust to settle. The smoke that engulfed Archer was then suddenly swiped away, revealing a seemingly unharmed Archer.

"Damn it, noting even fazes this guy!" Ven snarled.

Unbeknownst to the three of them, Velvet was suddenly emerging from the Coffee shop, only now recovering from the blast. She looked around dazed and confused, unaware as the roof above her was beginning to collapse

Ven began charging towards Archer, determined to defeat his foe. Here take Th-"Ven was cut off as the sudden screams of Velvet echoed throughout the street.

"No! Velvet!" Both Ven and Weiss shouted

Ven felt the sudden rush of wind fly past him. As he turned around, Archer was nowhere to be seen. When he turned back to the coffee shop, Ven had no words to describe what he saw

As what remained of the shop's roof began to collapse upon Velvet, she found herself frozen and unable to move. 'I don't know if I have enough aura to deflect the damage' as the rooftop came down on her, she closed her eyes waiting for the impact. She waited. And waited. But nothing came.

When she opened her eyes, she could see that the rooftop was only mere inches away, but held at bay by the sudden appearance of Archer. He stood beside her, holding up the rooftop, halting its decent. He grunted and breathed deeply, clearly struggling to hold up the rubble and debris

Velvet looked on in awe, captivated by Archer's strength "You…you saved me."

"Gurrgh, yep looks that way kid" he said through his teeth

Velvet continued to stare at Archer. Something In the back of her mind continued to beat away at her. Something that just didn't make sense. "Why?" she asked him. Why did he save her? Why would he risk his life? He was the one who caused this.

Velvet cowered slightly under Archer's intense glare. He sighed "Old habits die hard I guess" Archer began to buckle under the weight, his arms and legs shaking from the stress. "Get close to me kid!" Velvet nodded and stood beside him.

Ven and Weiss looked on in horror as the rooftop came down, what little remained of the shop collapsing with it. They had to cover their faces to avoid the smoke and dust. When everything was clear, all that remained was a large mountain of rubble and debris.

"Weiss hurry! All the people! Velvet! They're still under all of that! We have to help th-"

A large boom reverberated throughout the street as Archer burst out of the rubble and leapt into the air, holding Velvet in his arms Bridal style. Once he landed, he gently placed her on the ground. She stood in front of him. She looked to him with a face of both fear and admiration.

"Huh?" Archer looked down to see a massive glyph appear directly under him, Velvet also caught in its path. "Move!" He shouted as he pushed her out of the circle, letting her tumble to the ground.

The glyph detonated, sending him flipping into the air. Through the corner of his eye he could see Weiss spin around and shoot off six beams of light, sending them crashing into Archer. Each beam of light attached itself to a different body part, restraining his movements with newly formed glyphs.

He remained there in the air, completely defenseless and unable to move.

"You got him! Yeah!" Ven declared

Archer, still floating in the air, turned his head to face Weiss. He could see she looked distressed. It pained her to see him like this.

"Foolish girl"

Archer whispered something inaudible

"Huh?"

"I said you need to be more aware of your surroundings!"

Unbeknownst to Weiss, two of the swords that had flown off into the air earlier in the fight had seemingly returned and headed straight for Weiss. They came down her back, leaving behind several large slashes. The blades lodged themselves into the ground and began to fade away

Weiss cried in pain and fell to her knees, losing her hold on her glyphs. Taking advantage of her state, Archer broke out of his restraints and fell to the ground.

Weiss slowly rose from the ground, using Myrtenaster as support. "Damn it...huh?"

Suddenly the remaining four swords that Archer threw into the air returned, lodging themselves into the ground surrounding Weiss. She looked back to archer who now had his hand extended, connecting his middle finger with his thumb.

Throughout the silence, all she heard was the snap of his fingers and the sudden hissing of the blades around her.

Weiss did the only thing she could as the blades exploded, leaving behind a small fiery crater.

As the smoke cleared, a large shell of ice could be seen. Its front completely blown open, Weiss laying along its edge, motionless.

"I'm sorry, I wish it didn't come to this" Archer said lowly

"AAAHH!" Ven screamed as he lunged toward Archer. Archer promptly leaped back and avoided the strike.

"Get away!" he shouted, standing in front of Weiss, covering her.

Archer summoned a new pair of short swords and threw it directly at Ven. Ven raised his Keyblade, deflecting the two swords and sending them flying.

But that's exactly what Archer wanted, and Ven realized it too late. Moments after Ven had deflected the blades, Archer had closed in on him with another pair already prepared in his hands. He began hacking away at Ven, keeping him off balance long enough for the first pair to come flying around and slash at Ven's back.

Archer summoned a new pair of his Overedge blades and pressed on. In one final attack, Archer disappeared and reappeared behind Ven. After a few moments of silence, two large slashes of light appeared on Ven. He staggered around for a bit before falling hard onto the ground, finished.

"Excellent fight, Archer. Though I could have done without all the drama. Now we should…huh?" Rider muttered. "What the hell does he think he's doing?" he thought

Archer walked up to the motionless body of Ven. Looking down in shame at the current condition the boy was in

Ven was breathing heavily, his chest rising up and down, feverishly attempting to cope with the pain inflicted on him. A pool of blood emerging from his side. Ven grunted as he tried to ignore it and find the strength to move. Tears were flowing down his face as he stared back up at Archer.

"Please…don't…" he begged

Archer was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as Rider suddenly yanked at his arm "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked while pointing to Archers right hand

Archer glared at the King of Conquerors for the sudden outburst. As he looked to where Rider was pointing, his face contorted in horror.

In his hand, he now held a silver broadsword. Red patterns marked the blade, as if coated in blood. "Clarent? But…how…?" Archer questioned

"Yes. The Knight of Treachery's blade. Why in Hades would you use something like that here?" Rider demanded

Archer looked to Archer, his face full of fear. "I…didn't…this isn't my projection…I'm not doing this."

Archer looked at the blade, hardening his conviction. He looked up to the sky and began yelling.

"Master! You would have me use a Noble Phantasm here, in the middle of a city! Why?"

Ven listened for a response but found only silence.

"But there are innocents! At the very least let me evacuate them!" Archer shouted once more to the sky

Again, silence

"But they'll all die!"

'Is this guy crazy? Who's he talking to? What's…what's a Noble Phantasm?' Ven thought to himself

"But Master…Its just one boy! This isn't necessary. Please, don't make me do this!" he pleaded the sky

Ven noticed a sudden burst of Red energy along Archer's hand. Archer's body began trembling as he slowly raised the sword above Ven.

Archer turned to Rider "I…I'm sorry"

Rider shook his head "This isn't your fault" He placed his hand on Archer's shoulder, reassuring him. "I will be sure to express my disapproval to your master upon our next meeting. The King of Knights will also hear of this. She won't let something like this…go unanswered."

Archer lowered his head "Clarent…"

The broadsword, in response began to emit sparks of what looked like red lightning.

"Blood…" The lightning began to swirl and expand around the blade, tainting the silver blade to an almost blood red.

"Arth…" Archer stopped suddenly returning his gaze to the sky.

"Thank you master. Thank you." He said lowly. The lightning around the blade began to dissipate until only small sparks around the hilt remained.

Rider placed his hand upon the blade, guiding Archer as he lowered it to the ground. Archer threw it to the side, and watched in anger as it faded away.

Both he and Rider looked down at Ven. "What should we do with them?" Rider asked

"He said the boy is to live" Archer said quietly

The sudden sounds of police sirens began to echo throughout the street. Dozens of police officers and Atlesian soldiers began to close in on them.

"We let them handle it" Archer said.

Both Archer and Rider emitted a quick flash of light, and just like that…they were gone.

Ven was slowly closing his eyes, letting the darkness take him.

So tired

…

…

…

So cold

…

…

…

Maybe I can just take a quick nap

…

…

…

He was jolted awake as Weiss began shaking him "Hey Ven just hold out a bit longer you're going to be ok" She promised "We need help over here!" she shouted to the paramedics nearby. "Don't fall asleep, stay with me ok"

And with that, Ven closed his eyes and succumbed to the numbing darkness

"Ven? Ven!"

* * *

 **Several hours later, Beacon Academy infirmary**

Weiss was laying up in her bed, replaying the events of the day in her head.

It all started off so nice. The tournament, her sister, and…Ven

She turned to the bed to her left, smiling internally as she watched the peacefully sleeping Ven. 'He was really hurt. But the doctors said he will be ok in no time.' Weiss looked down at the bandages around her body. She would heal faster due to her Aura so she would probably be able to leave by tomorrow.

She still had so many questions. How does Sora know Shirou? What happened to him in the first place to make him the way he was? Who's his master? Why did he want Ven?

Weiss failed to notice the door creak open as a blur of red flew in. Weiss was pulled out of her thoughts as Ruby almost nearly tackled her, holding her tightly "WEEEIIISSS!" Ruby yelled "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Gah, Ow! Ruby, Please watch it! I'm still a little sore!" Weiss scolded the little reaper

"Oh! Sorry!" she apologized. The rest of Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and all of the Guardians soon came in.

"How are you feeling Weiss?" Blake asked

"Better thank you" She gave Blake a supportive smile

"Yea you took some nasty hits, too bad it ruined your date." Yang smiled

Weiss's cheeks flushed red "It wasn't a date!" she shot at Yang

"Relax im just joking. Didn't mean to strike a nerve."

Weiss turned and looked at Ven. Aqua and Terra were by his side. Aqua was gently holding his hand.

"What happened out there anyway? There were reports of some kind of attack." Rep asked

"And it seems as though Coco's shop is in ruins." Namine added

Weiss looked down "Yea we were attacked by…someone I used to know as a kid. My teacher…Shirou"

The name Shirou seemed to immediately alert Aqua

"Have you told the authorities?" Jaune asked

Weiss shook her head "General Ironwood has held off any questioning at least until I get out of here."

"So a teacher did all of THAT!" Nora exclaimed, pointing to the TV in the room. Weiss grabbed the remote and raised the volume. The TV showed police at the scene, placing people into ambulances, and blocking off reporters

"-This is Lisa Lavender reporting. What seemed like another peaceful afternoon, quickly turned to panic, as violence quickly erupted outside of the Adel family Coffee Shop here in Vale. There have been no reported casualties but over a dozen were reported with injuries. When asked of this incident, General Ironwood had this to say" Lisa said before the camera cut to a clip of Ironwood.

"We are still learning details about this incident, but assure you, this act of terror will not go unanswered."

The camera then cut back to Lisa "While no extremist groups such as the White Fang have claimed responsibility, surveillance of the violence points to this unidentified man to be the main perpetrator.

The TV then cut to footage of Archer as he fought both Ven and Weiss. The TV froze as it zoomed in to get a better look on his face

"While most are calling for this man's arrest, some of the people that were caught in the Coffee shop are saying otherwise

Footage of a man who looked to be in his mid-forties or fifties came on "I don't believe he did it. There's no way. After the blast I was just lying there in the shop. As the rooftop started to come down, I saw him charge in and hold it in place. But after it collapsed, I thought I was a goner. But there was some kind of red energy field hovering above me and everyone else who was stuck in the shop. It looked like some kind a flower or something. I don't know how to describe it but whatever that man did saved our lives."

The screen then shifted back to a still photo of Archer "If you or anybody has information on this man's whereabouts, please contact the authorities immediately as he is said to be highly dangerous. And on to our next story. Beacon's very own Team RWBY and Team JNPR emerged victorious today as the opening rounds of the Vytal festival-"Weiss clicked the remote and turned off the television

'Shirou...' Aqua's anger was steadily rising

'It was him, the man from my dream' Sora panicked to himself 'He did all this

'It was the guy Sora mentioned earlier, but why?' both Roxas and Xion thought

Blake's eyes widened in horror "That…man…that isn't possible" she whispered

"What was that Blake?" Ruby asked

Blake quickly shot up and dismissed her "Oh nothing! I was just surprised to see all of that!" she lie. Riku looked at her suspiciously, he could tell there was something she wasn't letting on

What did you think Yang?" Blake turned and asked her partner.

Yang remained silent as she continuously stared at the television. "Yang?" Blake asked once more

"He…that was him" she said lightly

"You…you know Shirou as well?" Weiss shot up and asked

"No I don't know him personally, but…I've seen him before" she said

"Where?" Ruby questioned

Yang was silent for a few moments before speaking again "At our home back in Patch. On that day. On the day…mom died"

* * *

 **Phew! Finally its finished! This chapter was a lot of fun to write and i hope you guys enjoy it. To any of you hardcore Fate fans out there, you may have noticed that ive given Archer a bit of an upgrade as he projected two noble Phantasms he's not known to ever use. Think of it as a preview for what other characters will appear later on. If you guys have any suggestions for what other characters and their respective Noble Phantasms you would like to see, leave a quick suggestion in the reviews or shoot me a message. And Yes, not only does he share some kind of past connection to Weiss but also Ruby, Blake, and Yang.**

 **The premiere of Volume 4 came out a couple days ago. Hopefully everyone was able to see it in the barren wasteland that was Rooster Teeth's servers. But all in all awesome episode and I cant wait for more! The Rooster Teeth Crew is doing a spectacular job and they deserve all the support and praise possible.**

 **Next chapter will dive into what past connections Archer shares with both Blake, Ruby and Yang. Also a certain dance will be brought into the picture**

 **Next chapter: Memories**

 **Please Fav, Follow, and Review!**

 **Until next Time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	14. Memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY, or the Fate series**

 **They are owned by Square Enix, Rooster Teeth, and Type-Moon respectively**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 13 – Memories

Everyone just stared at Yang in silence. "Are you sure it was him?" Weiss asked. "That…that seems like it would be too much of a coincidence." Finding no response from Yang, she turned to Ruby for answers. Ruby jumped back, noticing Weiss's intense stare "Uh…I…I…don't really remember. I was really young."

"But I remember that day." Yang interjected. "I remember everything about that day" Her face fell slightly, memories flooding her head.

"It all started off like any other day…" she began

* * *

 **Patch, 10 years ago**

Yang blinked several times as the morning rays began to shine through her window. She sat up, stretched her arms and elicited a long yawn. She slapped her lips together for additional effect. She turned her head slowly and looked at her sleeping sister, tucked tightly in the bed next to her.

"Oh she's so cuuuuute when she sleeps!" Yang couldn't help but squeal as she looked to her little sister. She began looking around the room, observing the familiar sights. Ruby and Yang's room was rather large. It had two large beds for the two of them, a television by the window, and a large bookshelf with tons of books and little Grimm figurines.

Yang smiled brightly, she really loved her room. Everything about it just gave her the utmost feeling of safety. There were no monsters or bad guys that would ever dare step in here! Yang yawned once more "Well it's still early, maybe I can sleep a bit longer. She laid down and closed her eyes "Take me away to dream land

…

…

…

Unfortunately, the day was calling. Or rather, their mom was. Both Ruby and Yang shot up in their beds as the door slammed open and a slender figure wearing a white cloak stepped in.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Ruby and Yang screamed in Unison

The figure removed the hood of their cloak, revealing the smiling face of Summer Rose, their mother. Summer wore her usual attire. A plain black dress, a white hood and cape, and almost knee high black boots. She had shoulder length black hair with red highlights. "Come on, get a move on! Breakfast is ready! Get out of bed!" she happily exclaimed. "Mom! Don't do that! You scared me!" Yang shrieked

Summer then had a mischievous smile on her face as she approached Yang "Oooooh did I spook you? Did I look like a ghost when I came in all like, Waaah! Woooh!" Yang giggled as Summer made weird ghostly movements and sounds. "How do you have so much energy?" Yang laughed.

"I'm a mom! I need energy! Energy to do this!" she said as she began tickling Yang, eliciting small laughs from the child. "Now come on you two, breakfast is ready!"

Yang smiled "Ok" she turned to Ruby "come on Ruby" Yang was actually surprised to see Ruby puffing her cheeks, looking kind of hurt "I'm not so hungry right now mom" she whimpered

Summer smiled "I also made cookies…"

Ruby shot up, her eyes sparkling. She quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed her little red cape, and ran to the kitchen. "Oh, Ruby don't run! You'll trip on your cape again!" Summer shouted as she ran after her

Yang kept watching her mom as she walking away. She admired everything about Summer. To Yang, she was the most beautiful, intelligent, and kind person to ever live. Yang walked out to the kitchen to see Ruby already scarfing down a small plate of cookies, happily salivating in their taste. Their father, Taiyang, was standing by the stove making pancakes. Summer walked beside him and planted a small kiss on the cheek "AH! You're making pancakes! I love your pancakes." Summer squealed in delight

Taiyang turned around and planted a small kiss on his wife's lips. "Well, today is special. Happy anniversary, honey. Now sit down and chef master Taiyang will be there in a moment!" he said as he flipped the pancakes. Unfortunately he flipped the stack of them too high and they stuck to the ceiling. "I'll…just start another batch" he said lowly

After several minutes and another two batches of pancakes later, their whole family sat down to eat. After some time scarfing down all the food readily available, Summer's scroll began to ring. She took it out and read its contents carefully. "Is everything alright, Sum?" Tai asked. Summer put her scroll down and sighed "Its Ozpin, he has a mission for me"

"Can't it wait? I mean, it's our anniversary!" Tai pleaded. Summer smiled and gently grabbed hold of Tai's hand. "I know, I know, but…this one's important. I promise I'll be back in no time." She then leaned in close and said "And then you'll have me all to yourself" Tai began blushing bright red.

Ruby tugged on Summer's cape. Summer got on both her knees in order to be more on level with her daughter. "Do you have to go, mom?" Ruby asked. "Yes, sweetheart" she replied. "I gotta go teach the big bad monsters a lesson, Right Yang?" Yang got up and walked beside Ruby. "That's right! Go get em!"

Summer smiled brightly "Make sure you watch your sister while I'm gone ok?" Yang nodded "I will, don't worry!" Summer leaned in close and wrapped the three of them in a warm hug. "I love you guys."

Summer got up and walked to the door. Before leaving she turned and smiled, looking on at her family "I'll see you soon" and with that she left

 **Later that day**

Yang and Ruby were hanging out in the living room. Ruby was currently doodling pictures, attempting to draw what looked like Grimm lying motionless, each saying "Owchie" Yang was currently watching a cartoon about a group of kids at a crazy summer camp. She looked outside the window, staring at the low setting sun. She hadn't heard anything from her mom all day. She was beginning to worry. "Huh?" Yang noticed in the distance a man approaching their house. As the man got closer, Yang began to notice more of his features. He had tan skin, white hair, and grey eyes. He wore black body armor and pants with a two part red coat over his body. He held his head low as he approached their home.

Yang jumped up as she heard the doorbell ring. "Dad, somebody's at the door!" she called out. Taiyang came into view, passing by and walking to the front door "Thanks, kiddo. I'll get it." Yang couldn't see her father from her current position. She listened closely as she heard the door open and her father eliciting an audible gasp "I had no idea you were coming! I wasn't…expecting…you" Yang could hear a sudden shift in her father's tone.

She was surprised to hear the door close, sobbing could be heard from the other side. Yang went back to the window and looked out, seeing her father and the mysterious man speaking. The mysterious man turned sharply, noticing Yang's presence. "Eep!" Yang quickly sat down, hoping he didn't really notice her.

She sat there in silence, watching Ruby as she drew. Several minutes would pass by before she heard yelling coming from the outside

"After what this bastard did to Raven, how can you still defend him, Tai!?" the voice of another man rang out. Her Uncle Qrow. "This is his fault! He's just too much of a coward to admit it!" Qrow yelled

"Qrow!" Taiyang pleaded, his voice cracking "Please…not right now….just…go inside"

"But Tai-"

"Please, Qrow. Just…" Taiyang couldn't finish

Both Ruby and Yang jumped up as Qrow slammed the door open and stomped in. He stopped out of the doorway, noticing the two girls. Yang could see tears in his eyes as he walked into the guest room and closed the door.

Why was Uncle Qrow crying? Yang was shocked to see Ruby drop her drawing and shoot up. "I wonder who dad is talking to!?" she said. Ruby quickly ran off to the front door, her cape flowing behind her. "No! Ruby come back!" Yang pleaded

Yang ran after her and stopped once she was in the hallway facing the open door. She stood back, away from her father, Ruby, and the mysterious man. She could see Ruby clutching onto her father's leg, holding him closely.

The mysterious man was kneeling down, looking at Ruby. He turned, noticing Yang, and gave her a light smile. He turned back to Ruby, and began to speak.

"You must be Ruby, right?"

Ruby, still clutching onto Taiyang's leg, looked up shyly "Yes"

The man smiled "I thought so. You look just like Summer. You have her eyes."

Ruby began to move away from her father's leg, now more comfortable in front of the man "You know my mom?"

He nodded "Yea, I know your mom. She's…the strongest person I've ever known, even when she didn't need to be." He said, averting his eyes towards the ground.

Ruby laughed "Well that's my mom for you!" Ruby's smile faded as she looked upon the man once more. "Hey Mister? Are you ok?"

The man looked up, confused. "Yea, I'm fine! Why would you ask that?"

Ruby pointed to his face "You're crying"

The man brought his hand to his face, surprised to feel the wet substance from his eyes. He traced the tear along his cheek and wiped it away "Sorry I don't know where that came from." He looked up to Taiyang, who was now struggling to hold back his own tears.

"Oh!" the man exclaimed "I almost forgot! Your mom told me you like stories. Here, I got you something"

Ruby began jumping up in excitement as she patiently awaited her gift. The man reached behind his back and kept it there for a moment. Yang could have sworn she saw blue electricity swirling around his back. When he pulled his arm out, he handed two small objects to Ruby.

"Whoaaaa!" she exhaled "Who are they?"

The man smiled "They're…they're people I respect deeply. Heroes of the highest caliber."

Ruby smiled and held the objects closely "Thank you! I love it!"

Yang could see the man's smile fade and be replaced by a bleak expression. "Hey, Ruby?" he said

"Yes?"

"Has…your mom ever told you the story of the Wrought Iron Hero?"

Ruby seemed to think for a moment "Yea! She tells me that one all the time! It's her favorite!"

Another tear fell down the man's face

"Mister?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that…I've done something really bad. And because of me, people have gotten hurt. Your mother included. I'm just not…I'm not sure how I can fix it." The man said

"Well…You wanna know what my mom would say?" Ruby asked

The man nodded "Well…she would probably say to not worry about that stuff. As long as you try your best from now on, it'll all work out!" Ruby exclaimed

The man looked at Ruby, staring at her in silence for a moment "Thank you. I think I needed that." He stood up and gave Ruby a bright smile "Don't you worry. I'll try my best from now on too" he finished

Taiyang placed his hand on Ruby's head. "Why don't you go back inside and show Yang what you got?"

"Ok!" she sprinted back inside, stopping directly in front of Yang while excitedly shoving the two objects in her face. They were books.

"Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang! Look what I got!" Ruby yelled

Yang looked at the books curiously "The legend of King Arthur and…Alexander the Great?"

"Can you read one to me? Please, please, please, PLEAASSSE!" Ruby begged

"Uh…yea, sure. Which one would you like to read?"

Ruby looked at the books and thought deeply "This one" she said while pointing to the book about King Arthur.

"Ok then let go-AAAAHH!" Yang screamed as Ruby dragged her away to the living room. Yang sat atop the couch, Ruby leaning in next to her. Yang opened the book and began to read from it "Alright, let's begin"

Yang began to read about the origins of the legendary King of Knights. His upbringing, pulling Excalibur from the stone, the formation of the round table, and more. Ruby listened intently, eager to learn more about Arthur's legend. Arthur was the type of hero that Ruby looked up to.

After several minutes of reading Ruby shot up in excitement. "Hey Yang, I just had a crazy idea!"

Yang put the book down, her mind was being drawn away, still focusing on the mysterious man and her father, who were still talking outside.

"What is it Rubes?" she asked

"What if…King Arthur wasn't a guy….but actually a girl acting as a guy?"

Yang laughed "Then why would she be called King Arthur? Wouldn't she be a Queen?"

"Girls can be King too!" Ruby argued back. Both girls were pulled out as they heard the door gently close, Taiyang emerging and walking into the guest room, Uncle Qrow waiting inside.

Yang turned around and looked out the window. She could see the man walking away in the distance, never turning back.

Yang felt Ruby tugging on her arm "Come on Yang, continue!" she pleaded, with puppy dog eyes.

Before she could continue she heard yelling coming from the guest room. Yang quickly took the book and turned towards the middle "Here Ruby, this section has some really cool pictures for you to look at, I'll be right back ok?"

"Ok!"

Yang got up and slowly approached the guest room door. She listened closely to the sounds of her father and Uncle Qrow as their fighting increased.

"Qrow…Summer wouldn't want this. Even if it is true, she wouldn't want you seeking…revenge!" Taiyang pleaded

"Well Summer isn't here now, is she?!" Qrow spat

A loud booming sound followed, dust blown off the wall. An indent of a closed fist could now be seen beside the door. Yang just stood there, frozen in place

"All you're doing is spitting on her memory. Get out, Qrow. Just…leave"

"Tai you can't be serio-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Taiyang yelled

Yang fell back as the door swung open, her uncle standing before her, his expression unreadable

"Uncle Qrow? Are you and dad fighting?" Yang shyly asked

Qrow knelt down and gave a reassuring smile "No of course not, Firecracker. Your dad and I…are just having a bit of a disagreement right now" Qrow got up and walked to the front door. "See ya around kiddo" Before stepping outside he looked to his left, noticing a small night table. Atop the table were two small glasses and a large bottle of wine. On the bottle's front rested a small sticky note that said "Happy anniversary"

Qrow picked up the bottle, observed it for a moment before uncorking it and spilling some of its contents into one of the glasses. He quickly lifted the glass, drinking the numbing liquid and spilling some of it on himself. As he prepared to pour himself another glass, Qrow stopped and just looked at the bottle. He placed the glass down and instead began drinking straight from the bottle.

After gulping down most of its contents, he stepped outside, bottle in hand. Yang ran to the window, watching as he continued to walk away, drinking the remainder of its contents.

Yang walked back to the guest room, now noticing her father kneeling beside the bed, his head buried into his arms. His shoulders were rising and falling rapidly. He was crying.

"Dad?"

End of flashback

* * *

 **Present day, Beacon Infirmary**

"Neither Mom or dad ever mentioned the man. Sometime after the funeral…I asked him about it. But no matter what, he just stayed silent. He just kinda shut down for a while." Yang said, finishing her story.

Everyone stared at Yang in silence. Ruby walked in front of her and held her in a loving embrace. The two sisters stood there hugging each other in silence before Ruby pulled away.

Everyone suddenly was alerted by the infirmary's door suddenly opening, one of the attendants popping their head in. "Excuse me, sorry for interrupting, but Miss Schnee needs plenty of rest if she's going to be ready for the doubles round."

Everyone said their farewells and wished Weiss a speedy recovery. As everyone was leaving the room, Weiss called out Sora "Wait, Sora! Do you have time to speak, just for a moment?"

"Uh sure Weiss" he replied with uncertainty. He turned to Ruby "I'll be out in a moment"

"I'll be right here, I've got something I want to ask you when you're done"

Sora walked back to Weiss's side "What's up?" he asked

Weiss turned to her side, casting her gaze on Ven. "When Ven and I were fighting Shir-I mean Archer…" she said begrudgingly, almost believing the man she once knew and the man she knows now to be two separate people "Ven mentioned something…something about you."

"What did he say?"

"He said that…that you've seen Archer before. In a dream?"

Sora sighed "Of course he did. Yea, I saw him. I guess Ruby has mentioned that I've seemed distant these last couple days?"

Weiss nodded in agreement "She did mention that something was bothering you"

"Well, I haven't told her this yet but…a few days ago I had this strange dream. There were people and places I've never seen before. I saw some…really bad things." Sora said, not wanting to get into the more gruesome details. He began clutching the sides of his head as he struggled to remember his dream.

"A lot of it is still a big blur, but there is something that I definitely do remember. I saw that man. I saw Shirou"

"Archer" Weiss corrected

"Sorry. I mean Archer. I've never met him before, but there was something about him that just…" Sora trailed off

"What?"

"…Terrified me" Sora finished "But that's not the only time I saw Archer. Earlier today, when Qrow and Winter were fighting, I didn't see them, I saw Archer and some woman fighting."

"Some woman?"

"I'm not sure yet, but judging from Yang's story, I think it was Summer. They knew each other. It's possible that he might be the one who…"

Weiss knew exactly what he was going to say. She couldn't bear the thought of Shirou being Summer's killer "What do you think this means?" she asked

"I don't know" Sora admitted "Normally I wouldn't think too much about a bad dream, but this one felt so much more than that. I know that my heart is trying to tell me something. And if there is one thing I've learned after all this time, it's that I have to hear it out."

Weiss smiled "I understand. You're at your best when you're listening to your heart. I'm sure, whatever all this means, you'll figure it out"

Sora stood there stunned. Weiss raised her eyebrows at Sora's reaction "Um, Sora?"

"Oh, sorry. It's just that…that was actually nice of you, Weiss. Thank you." Sora admitted

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Weiss shot back

"Well usually your yelling at me for a bunch of stuff and calling me an idiot, or a dunce, or a dolt, or a-"

"I get it, thanks." Weiss interjected. She wasn't angry. He was right. That's how she always treated him. But it's different now. "Sora…" she began "Before you go, I just wanted to say…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I've always treated you. I know I can go a little far and I'm a bit unfair. You are…an excellent warrior, and I consider you to be a good friend. It's just taken a long time for me to realize that."

Sora was speechless "Thank you Weiss. And don't worry, there's no hard feelings. I've always considered you to be a good friend. But where is all this coming from?"

Weiss turned to her side, looking at Ven. She smiled brightly "Someone gave me some new perspective"

Sora saw how she looked at Ven. It filled his heart with happiness. "Ven has that effect on people. It's nice to know you two are friends now. He was really excited to meet you"

"I know. He's a nice guy. He helped me realize how wrong I've been." She shot her head around quickly, her usual stern expression returning. "But that doesn't mean I won't criticize you if you do something stupid! Got it?"

Sora laughed "Got it. Wouldn't be the same if you weren't there to set me straight." Sora smiled brightly, to which Weiss reciprocated as well.

"Anyway, I should probably go now. You should get some rest. You need to be ready for the doubles round."

"Yes, of course" She audibly began to yawn "Goodnight Sora"

After leaving the room, Sora turned to see Ruby waiting nearby. She shot up excitedly when she noticed him. "Sora!"

"Hey Ruby"

"Um…"

"Oh yea!" Sora poke up "Wasn't there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Ruby shyly shifted her feet around, looking to the floor, her cheeks bright red. "Well, yes…I mean…gah! How do I put this?"

"Ruby?"

"Ok…ok." She took in a deep breath, calming herself down "So theres kind of this…d-dance this weekend, and I thought it would be…uh…cool…no, no, nice, if we went together…you know as a couple. So…would you want to go to the dance with me? I mean, I'm not completely into the idea myself, but I think it would be nice"

They both remained silent for a few moments. Ruby began panicking, feeling self-conscious as Sora just stood there, staring at her. She jumped as Sora burst into a fit of laughter. "What's so funny?" she asked

"Ruby, we've been dating for three months. I've seen you stare down hordes of Grimm without batting an eye. And in all that time I have never seen you so nervous before."

"Uh…um…" Ruby muttered before Sora gently held her hands, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Ruby, its not even a question. Of course I'll go to the dance with you."

"Really?"

"If it makes you happy, how could I ever say no?" Sora planted a small kiss on Ruby's lips. After pulling back he could see her face was as red as her cape.

"Ok…um…yea, great! Oh! I need to start looking for a dress! Um…Where do I go to get a dress? Do you think they allow capes?"

"Um…maybe you should ask Weiss, Blake, or Yang for advice on that. I'm not exactly an expert on dresses." Sora replied

"Yea of course! How silly of me!" The couple began walking back to the dorms together, hand in hand

* * *

 **Outside Team RWBY's dorm**

Blake was tired. It was a long day to say the least. With the tournament looming over her Team's head, she has a lot on her plate. But perhaps what scared her the most was the sudden appearance of that man. Archer. Memories of Blake's past began flooding back into her head. How long has it been, twelve years? How is it that he looks exactly the same as he did back then?

Approaching her dorm, she noticed somebody standing by its entrance. Riku could be seen leaning along the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Sensing her presence he looked up and smiled. "Hey Riku, are you alright?" she asked

"I'm fine. But I guess I should be the one asking YOU that." He answered. Blake began to panic internally. What does he mean? Does he know something more than he's letting on? "What do you mean?"

He rose from the wall and walked directly in front of Blake "Back in the infirmary. You seemed off when that picture of this Archer person came on the TV. Why is that?" Riku questioned her, knowing full well that Blake was hiding something underneath the surface

"Riku, I've never seen that man before. I don't appreciate you accusing me like th-"

"Blake, you don't need to keep secrets from me. We're friends. You can trust me" The truth was, in the short time that she's known Riku, she has trusted him. He wasn't like the others. He didn't look at her and see a Faunus of the White Fang. He just saw her.

"Plus your cat ears twitch whenever you lie, so it's pretty easy to tell when somethings wrong" Riku shot in with a quick laugh. Blake's cheeks flushed red and she sighed deeply. She looked around both ways, making sure nobody was in sight. "Come with me" she quickly grabbed Riku's hand and began leading him towards Beacon Library

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Yang had walked out of the bathroom, her toothbrush still in her mouth. She noticed the two sneaking off and began smiling devilishly. "Ooh, Blakey is being a bad little kitty isn't she" She walked into her dorm, letting the two go do as they please

Upon arriving in the dark lit library, Blake led Riku to a small secluded corner. Normally Riku would be pretty nervous if he found himself in situations as this one, but he trusted Blake enough. "I can't see a thing" Riku said, confused and disoriented. "You don't have to, I'll guide you' Blake reassured

"That's right, Faunus can see in the dark"

Blake smiled "Yep, I can see you just as clearly now as I can in the day"

"That's pretty cool. Must come in handy, right?"

"Uh…yea" It was a good thing Riku couldn't see Blake right now. Since he couldn't see, he wasn't aware how close Blake was to him currently. Blake was blushing slightly at the uncomfortably close distance between her and Riku. She calmed herself, looking into Riku's shifting eyes.

"The truth is…" she began "I have met that man before. A long time ago"

"Ok, well how did you end up meeting him?" Riku asked

"He…he saved my life. My mom and dad, we were being cornered, and there he was"

* * *

 **Outside the Kingdoms, 12 years ago**

Blake was walking home with her parents after attending a movie. It was midday, and the sun was beginning to set, casting large shadows across the village. The village Blake lived in was fairly peaceful. At least for the most part. In recent times, protesters from the civil rights organization, The White Fang, were popping up around the village's largest businesses.

Blake and her family tended to avoid the protests, distancing themselves from the Faunus. They didn't want to involve themselves with the crowd, wishing to remain invisible. Unfortunately, remaining invisible is somewhat difficult for a Faunus. Tensions between Humans and Faunus were rising. Faunus were finding themselves being cornered and attacked. Some were even being sold into slavery.

Today, Blake would see this firsthand.

Blake and her family were walking through a shadowy alleyway, heading home after a nice day. Holding on to both her mother and father, Blake noticed a man walking behind them closely. She began tugging on her mother's long dress "Mommy?"

Her mother saw the scared look on her daughter's face, turned and saw the man walking closely behind them. She nudged her husband, signaling him to walk faster. Almost halfway through the alleyway, two more men appeared out in front of them. They approached them, one of them pulling out a small knife

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a wide, maniacal grin

Blake's father began reaching into his pocket, pulling out his wallet "Here take my money, just let my family go, no need for anyone to get hurt."

"I have to disagree with that, your family brought this on themselves, filthy Faunus" He looked past him and gave the man behind them a quick nod

Blake's father was thrown into the wall as the man behind them bludgeoned his head with a bat. He crashed into the ground, unconscious and blood running down his face.

"NOOO-Gah!" Blake's mother screamed as one of the men grabbed hold of her, roughly gripping her face "Quiet now, you don't want anything happening to the little one do you?" Blake's mother looked to Blake. She was frozen in fear as the third man was holding a knife up to her throat "Mommy, I'm scared" Blake whimpered, tears running down her face

"It's ok honey, everything is going to be ok" Her attempt at reassuring her terrified daughter seemed to help, Blake's sniffling becoming less frequent.

Blake began crying harder as the man holding a knife to her mother's throat began laughing uncontrollably "Oh, that's not exactly true. But before it comes to that, we'll be sure to have some fun with you, little kitty cat" The man left a long sloppy lick across her mother's cheek

The man who hit her father spoke up next "How much do you think they'll sell on the black market?"

The man holding Blake laughed "The ones with more…exotic features sell pretty high. But…" he looked down at Blake "The younger ones also pay a hefty price"

The man holding up her mother spoke next "But before we get down to business, lets introduce ourselves to the property!" he mocked. He signaled toward himself "I guess you can call me…Moe" He then signaled to the man holding Blake "I guess that's Larry" he then signaled to the man with the bat "And the kind gentleman who bashed your husband's head is Curly"

Mere moments felt like an eternity. Blake wanted to scream out for help, but she knew the moment she did so, they would hurt her mom. 'Please, someone, anybody?!' she prayed

And her prayers were answered

"What do you think you're doing?!" a voice rung out. The three men turned, facing the man. He stood at the entrance of the alleyway. From Blake's point of view, it almost appeared as if he came out of a sea of light, the only living being in sight. He had tan skin, white hair, and grey eyes. He wore black body armor, pants, and a long white cloak

"Stay back!" Curly yelled

Archer shook his head "I asked you a question. I won't repeat myself again."

"Get lost old man! We're only dishing out the justice these filthy Faunus deserve!" Curly barked

Archer tilted his head "Faunus? I only see a family trying to enjoy a nice afternoon together" Archer began walking forward. The sound of the Faunus protesters in the streets began to dissipate. All but silence remained. The only sound that could be heard were the loud metallic echoes of Archer's boots as they clanked along the ground

Curly gritted his teeth "I said stay back!" he demanded. Archer kept on walking forward, his face expressionless and devoid of fear. "Grrr, Larry!" Larry walked forward, dragging Blake along. He shifted the knife from her neck to her left arm. He quickly swiped his hand, leaving a long cut on the top of her arm. She screamed in pain as blood began to ooze down her arm.

The sudden action stopped Archer in his tracks. Curly laughed "That stopped you didn't it? Don't want to see the little brat get hurt, huh?"

Archer stood in place, completely silent

"If you walk away now, I promise you'll have your time with this filth."

They stood in silence. None of Curly's remarks seemed to even faze Archer. He just stood there, motionless

"Well?! What do you say-AAARRGHH!" Curly screamed in agonizing pain as six longswords materialized overhead and impaled him straight through. He fell to the ground, heaving, and lying in a pool of his own blood. Both Moe and Larry let go of Blake and her mother, backing away from Archer. They would have run, but they found themselves frozen in fear, seeing their friend skewered along the ground

Archer walked up to the pinned body of Curly. Curly was still alive and coughing up blood. He looked up at Archer.

Archer only looked down on him, observing Curly in his pitiful state. "About what you said before" Archer began. He kneeled down beside Curly "I think you have it all wrong"

"What…?" Curly coughed out

"You kept on calling the Faunus filth. But really the only filth I see here…is you" Archer stood up, raised his foot, and brought it down along Curly's face. Curly's muffled screams echoed into the ground as Archer stomped on his head again and again

…

And again

…

And again

…

And again

Archer stopped, looking down at the now caved in head of Curly. Archer looked up at Moe and Larry, blood splattered along his face

Moe and Larry were still frozen and shaking uncontrollably. Throughout the entire violent exchange, Blake ran into her mother's arms as they looked on. Archer pointed to the two men "Run…now" he commanded

The two terrified mobsters mustered enough courage and began running in the opposite direction. Blake watched as two broadswords materialized overhead and flew straight through them as they ran. Blake didn't understand why, but she felt a sense of relief as the men fell to the ground, dying. She felt horrible about it and yet she couldn't shake it. She wanted them to die, and it felt good knowing they met their fate

She felt her mother's hold on her tighten as Archer began to approach them. She was terrified of the man. Normally Blake would be too, but right now, she couldn't feel safer.

Archer extended his hand towards Blake. Her mother hissed at him, as if telling him to back off

He looked to her with a sad expression "Your husband's suffered some trauma to the head and your daughter is bleeding. I just want to make sure they're ok."

Blake's mother waited a few moments before nodding her head slowly

Archer smiled "Don't worry, if at all you see me doing anything wrong, I give you permission to bite my head off" He knelt down beside Blake's father, placing both his hands on his back. Blue electricity swirled around his hands as a large golden scabbard materialized. Its golden light began to bathe her father's body. "Avalon" Archer whispered. After a few moments the scabbard disappeared, its light fading away.

"He'll be ok. He just needs a little rest." Archer got up and knelt beside Blake now. He took hold of her left arm, turning it over as he wiped away the blood and cleaned her wound. She looked on in awe as several miniature swords, the size of needles began weaving together her wound. "Whoa" she uttered "That was awesome" She gritted her teeth as she moved her arm, still hurting.

"Try not to move it too much for now, or you'll open it back up" He reached down towards the end of his white cloak and ripped some off. He took it and wrapped it around the top of Blake's left arm, acting as a bandage.

"Thank you…" Blake muttered. "Huh? What are you doing?" Archer reached up, lifted part of his cloak, revealing a metallic silver band along his collar. He took it off and placed it over the piece of cloak along Blake's arm. She observed the silver band, marveling at its pristine shine.

Archer rustled Blake's hair "As long as you have this band, it'll make you brave, ok? You think you can be brave for me and your parents?"

Blake beamed brightly and nodded "I will"

Archer was alerted to the sound of Blake's father rustling along the ground. He slowly rose, holding his head "Ahh, what…what happened" he asked. Archer quickly rushed over and supported him up "Take it easy, your still recovering."

He looked around noticing the deceased bodies of Moe, Larry, and Curly. "You…did…did you do all of this?"

Archer nodded, noticing Blake's father balling up his fists. He began to relax, seeing his wife and child safe "Thank you"

Blake jumped back as the sounds of explosions could be heard from the streets. People were seen running away in fear, pitch black monsters chasing after them "Grimm" Archer muttered

"The Grimm? Here? What…what should we do?"

"This village is no longer safe. We need to leave. Now!" Archer demanded. "But where will we go? Our whole life is here! We'll have nothing!" Blake's mother cried

"Don't worry. I'll get you someplace safe. I know people who will take care of you"

Archer led the Belladonna family outside of the village and into the nearby woods. After a couple hours of walking, they came across a small camp. Approaching the camp, Blake noticed dozens of Faunus, all bunched up together. They came up to the largest tent, directly in the middle of the enclosure. Blake looked up, noticing the familiar symbol of the Faunus civil rights group, The White Fang.

They walked inside, noticing several people around a large table. A large man, wearing a grim mask, a sleeveless white vest, and black pants. He looked down at Archer, trying to use his immense size to intimidate him "What's a human doing here? You lost?"

Archer shook his head "No, I'm right where I need to be. This family is from the village a little ways back. There's been a Grimm attack and they need your protection."

The White Fang lieutenant seemed to contemplate this for a moment "Of course, our borders are always open to our Faunus brothers and sisters. Thank you for bringing them safely, it's not every day I see a human helping out one our own. Unfortunately, I must ask you to leave. No humans. I hope you understand"

Archer nodded "As long as they're safe, it doesn't matter what happens to me" Archer tilted his head, noticing someone peering out from the lieutenant's side. A kid, probably around 9 or 10. He had red hair and two horns protruding from his head.

The lieutenant noticed this and pulled him out from behind him "Adam, don't be rude" Turning back to Archer, he said "Sorry for the boy startling you. This is Adam, Mr. Taurus's younger brother."

Blake recognized the name Taurus. It was the name of the family that founded the White Fang. Adam looked at her and smiled

"Where is Mr. Taurus now?" Archer asked. "Mr. Taurus is currently setting up several demonstrations in Mistral. The fight for equality goes on, one day at a time"

"Of course" Archer said, tuning face and heading out of the tent. "Wait!" Blake yelled. She ran out, stopping him in his tracks

"Before you go, I just have one thing I need to ask you!"

Archer remained silent, patiently waiting.

"Why did you save us? Out of everyone, why did you choose us?"

Archer turned around, facing the camp's exit "Because you would have done the same" And with that, he left, disappearing into the woods

End of flashback

* * *

 **Present day, Beacon Library**

"And that's how I found my way into the White Fang" Blake said, finishing her story "Archer saved me, if he wasn't there that day, I…I don't know." Blake felt the silver band on her left arm, still holding onto it after all these years. She kept it as a reminder to herself. In the threat of danger I need to be strong. Instead of letting others push me around, I'll push back.

Riku was speechless. He had no idea things could get that bad. "Blake, I'm so sorry for what those men put you through. What they did was horrible. And Archer…No child should ever witness something like that"

Blake smiled. "It's alright Riku. It's not something I think about too often. There's a lot of things from my past that I don't really like to talk about. Although I only knew him briefly, Archer was one of the good ones. There was something about him that I respected. But…if he really is back, then we all need to be on guard

"What do you mean?" Riku asked

After some time in the White Fang, I met Adam's brother, the original leader of the White Fang. He told me more about Archer. He said that…Archer would occasionally pop up and disappear all over the four Kingdoms and that wherever Archer appears, only death follows.

"You don't think he would try to hurt you, do you?"

"I...I don't know. You saw what he did to Weiss and Ven. He could have done a lot worse. I've been to some of the places where he was sighted. I've seen the people he's hurt. Human, Faunus, it doesn't matter."

"If he comes, I won't let him hurt you or anybody else."

"I know you won't, but I can take care of myself"

"I know you can" Riku admitted. His head fell slightly, his smile fading

"What's wrong" Blake asked

"It's just that…I still can't believe what those men almost did to you. It's still bothering me. To think that there are actually people like that in this world" Riku gritted his teeth and balled his fists. Blake was so much more than just a Faunus. She was someone unique, someone who he understood.

"Riku, really its fine" She gently held onto Riku's hands, calming him down

"I guess what's really bothering me is that somebody looks at you and only sees a Faunus. They see an animal, which is just horrible. But the truth is that your so much more than that, and anyone who doesn't see that is either blind or just an idiot" Riku said lightly

Blake began blushing furiously in the darkness. There he goes again. That deep sense of injustice. Knowing the difference between what's right and wrong. Not giving a damn whether she was a Faunus or a human.

"Riku…" she began "Your one of the first humans I've ever met that hasn't judged me, accused me, or treated me any different because of my Faunus heritage. When I told the rest of my team, it took some getting used to...but eventually they looked past it. When I told Sora, he freaked out at first, but he didn't seem at all bothered by it. But you…you never once looked at me any differently."

"Why would I? Being a Faunus shouldn't be something you're ashamed of, Blake. It's part of who you are. Without it, you wouldn't be…well….you. I think you're perfect the way you are, not because you're a Faunus, but simply because you're…Blake" she said with a shrug

Blake shifted her feet slightly. She felt like her face was on fire. "Riku, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure"

"Close your eyes"

"Um…sure, but I can't see anyway so what's the poi-huh?" Riku was cut off as Blake leaned forward and planted a light kiss on Riku's cheek.

"Thank you" she whispered

"Uh…um…uh" Riku began muttering, a bit off balance from the sudden act. Blake elicited a small laugh, seeing how flustered Riku was now, it was so different than his usual calm persona.

"Hey…uh…Blake…I just remembered…um…there's this dance this weekend. If you're interested, maybe you and I could-"

Blake placed a finger on his lips, halting him "I would love to"

Riku felt like jumping up and screaming. The only reason he stopped himself was out of fear of falling and breaking something.

Riku felt Blake release his hands. "Come on. It's late. We should get some sleep" Blake said as she began to walk away

"Yea right behind you" Riku stepped forward, accidentally walking straight into a book shelf. "Uh, Blake? Cant see in the dark, remember? Kinda need some help!"

Riku felt his body jerk forward as Blake grabbed hold of his hand, leading out of the dark library "Sorry about that" she apologized

After they left, peering out of the darkness was a figure in a yellow cloak. He watched the two teens as they left the library. His expression hidden behind the mask of a white leopard. A monkey's tail moving back and forth behind him.

He gritted his teeth "Archer..."

* * *

 **Happy Halloween Everyone!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Within the coming chapters, things will really hit the fan. Thats really all I can say. The next chapter will revolve around Sora as he heads off to Merlot Labs and ultimately has his first confrontation with the Foretellers. This may be Sora's ultimate test of strength and will so stay tuned!**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review!**

 **Next Chapter: The First Move**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	15. The First Move

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY, or the Fate series**

 **They are owned by Square Enix, Rooster Teeth, and Type-Moon respectively**

 **Hey Guys, just want to say a couple things beforehand. I would first like to apologize for how long its been without an update. Three months! man thats bad. I hope you all understand that life can get in the way sometimes. You know, tests, papers, finals, and then there was Winter Break. But I'm back now, and I'm going to update this story as regularly as I can. But before I get to the chapter I would like to thank all the new Favs and Follows this story has received since my last update**

 **New Favs:** **Guajardo, MadcapErikaSparkle, Neos the Final Builder, Pokemon-Ranger-Aiko, The Elements Lord, The Rogue Of Heroes, Theothergy, Toy2711, myfunvideos, yuginegi**

 **New Follows:** **Guajardo, InfiniteParadigmShifts, Pokemon-Ranger-Aiko, Toy2711, myfunvideos, yuginegi**

 **And Thank you to everyone else who has Favorited, Followed, and taken the time to read this story**

 **So anyway...uh...on with the chapter**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 14 – The First Move

Sora collapsed upon reaching his bed that night. Happy to have made it through the day, and needing to collect his thoughts, he quickly fell asleep.

He dreamt of his time back on Destiny Islands. He was playing tag with Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, and of course Riku. Sora smiled peacefully in his sleep remembering the islands. But something was off. Much like his dream with Archer, Summer, and Vanitas, he was so vividly aware of everything around him.

Was it even a dream at all?

Or was his heart trying to tell him something he had missed?

* * *

Destiny Islands, eleven years ago

"Haha you're gonna have to try better than that!" Sora yelled as he just narrowly avoided Tidus. Currently Tidus was "it" and trying feverishly to tag Sora, only to come up short.

Noticing from the corner of his eye a large blue blitzball, Tidus decided to change his course, heading straight towards the unsuspecting Wakka. "Aaaaand tag! You're it!" Tidus cheered as he swiped Wakka's head.

Wakka quickly turned, noticing Sora in the distance. A large grin crawled across his face. "Alright Sora, you may have been able to outrun Tidus but you're not getting away from me!"

Wakka began sprinting as fast as he could, closing the distance between him and Sora. Sora the whole time was laughing, unafraid of actually getting caught. After a whole minute of chasing the boy, Wakka found himself within grabbing distance. He reached out, hoping to end this chase once and for all. And he would have, if not for his blitzball slipping from his arm, falling in front of him, and tripping him face first into the sand.

Sora took the opportunity to run away, managing to reach the docks. It was quiet. Seemed like he gave him the slip. Sora stood still, slowly catching his breath. "That'll teach ya, hehe." He chuckled. Something in the distance caught his attention

Standing by the Paopu tree was a man. Sora had never seen the man before. A lot of strange people that he'd never seen before were popping up out of nowhere. The man that gave Riku some kind of special magic secret, and that lady with the blue hair were just a couple of them.

But this man seemed different, he seemed familiar. He had short white hair, wore black body armor, and a red coat. The man turned quickly in Sora's direction, aware of his presence. Sora stepped back, noticing his cold and stormy grey eyes. The man turned back and began walking inland, walking towards a large shrub along the waterfall. Before Sora knew it, he had disappeared

Curiosity overwhelmed all sense of reason in Sora's mind. He decided to follow where the mysterious man went, standing in front of the shrub, small particles from the waterfall constantly hitting him. The cool water dimming the sense of the hot summer sun on Sora's back.

Looking at the shrub, Sora noticed a slight opening creeping it one of the sides. When pushing the greenery aside, Sora was astounded to see a small cave opening. "Whoa….." Sora mumbled as he began walking in the entrance. Sora followed the narrow path and eventually found himself in a large circular chamber. Stones protruded the walls around him. Tree trunks seemed to be connected from the ground and into the walls. A small stream of light made its way through an opening somewhere along the chamber's top. Sora abruptly stopped upon seeing what appeared to be door. It had no apparent opening or any handle to open it.

Sora looked all around him, finding no trace of the man from earlier "Weird…" he shrugged off. Turning back to the door, he now noticed the symbol of a keyhole at its center. Sora felt drawn to it, the keyhole slowly pulling him in. When Sora was but a few inches away, he slowly raised his right hand, placing it along its surface. "Cool….Huh?" Sora jumped as he heard a large crack and felt the earth beneath him shift "Oh no, that's not good!" The ground began shaking and cracking beneath him more and more, Sora began to make a break for it, quickly running to the caves entrance. Before he got out however, a hole in the ground formed taking Sora down to its depths.

He kept falling straight down in the dark unknown, crying and screaming as the wind rushed past his face and the light faded. After a few moments he finally hit the ground and blacked out from the sheer impact

…

…

…

After a few moments, Sora slowly rose up, taking note of all the cuts and bruises now on his body. He was surprised his injuries weren't more severe considering the drop. He looked up, noticing the faint light of the cave. The cuts along Sora's face began stinging with the sudden rush of Wind.

"Wind? Where is that even…oh!" Sora turned to see that this pit had a perfectly shaped passageway in front of him. The jagged surface of the cave was replaced by man made tiles. At the end of the path a small opening could be seen, small gusts of wind rushing in. Streams of what looked like green light seemed to flow into the passage and fade away. Sora took a single step but found himself frozen in place as a voice rung out behind him "Who are you?" it said

Sora spun around facing the source of the voice. It was just boy, like him. Or that what he thought at least. He was the same height, even had the same spiky hair as him. The only difference was that he was completely covered in shadows and had large golden eyes.

Despite his appearance the shadow looked to be just as lost as Sora. "Um hi, I'm Sora" he answered

"Oh…um…hi Sora" the shadow responded nervously. The shadow seemed to notice the pathway and gave an audible gasp, walking in front of Sora to get a better view "Wow! Where do you think that leads?" he asked

Sora rose his eyebrows, confused "What do you mean? Isn't that where you came from?" Sora questioned the shadow. The shadow shook his head "No…I'm not sure where I came from, I just found myself here with you"

"Oh…ok…um…what's your name? I never got it" Sora asked

The shadow seemed to contemplate the question for a moment, looking around the chamber for perhaps an answer "My…name? My…name…my…name…is…" the shadow struggled to get out his answer, but was seemingly cut off by sudden pained howls in the distance

Sora cowered back, falling onto the edges of the cave

The shadow stood in place, visibly shaking "That sounds like the bad ones…"

"Bad ones?" Sora asked, scared of the answer

"Demons…Wraiths….souls who have gone against their original purpose" The shadow admitted

"D-demons? W-what do we do?" Sora cried

"Conquer with courage rather than strength." The shadow said plainly. He turned to face Sora, who was still cowering along the walls.

"You asked me what my name was?" he asked. Sora looked back to the shadow, nodding.

The shadow stood in silence for a few moments until he spoke up again

"Can you give me one?" he asked. Sora opened his mouth to speak but found that no words came out. Soon the howls sounded off again, all screaming in unison "GOETIA!" they screamed.

"It sounds like they're getting closer…we need to get out of here!" Sora pleaded the shadow. The green glow of light emanating from the passage began changing to a menacing red. Despite his pleas, the shadow stood sill, holding the sides of his head as if in pain. Sora extended his hand, placing it along the shadows back. "Hey are you…" He was soon cut off as large spike of darkness emerged from the shadow's body, striking Sora in the stomach and pushing him back.

"Hey what was that for!?" Sora yelled. The spike slowly retracted and returned to the shadow's body. The shadow slowly turned to face Sora and spoke again, but instead of the child's voice from before, a deep booming voice echoed out. "My glare will pierce through darkness, my brightness will scatter the shadow" it said

Sora backed up against the wall, feeling along his back what felt to be some kind of vine. He looked up noticing large lines of tree truck sticking out from the walls. A way to climb out.

"Look at me when I'm speaking boy!" the shadow commanded, to which Sora quickly obliged. "The Sword of Destiny has two edges. You are one of them" the shadow said, pointing at Sora. "The long winding roads of Fate await you. You must overcome its trials" Sora nodded slowly as he carefully grabbed onto the branch behind. Something was wrong with the shadow, and he didn't want to stick around in this place any longer.

"First you shall face the Revelation of the Past. Its darkness shall have three heads. The first, whose heart has succumbed to darkness. The Second, whose body resides in nothingness. And the Third, the Seeker himself, a master of manipulation.

Howls sounded off from the outside once more "GOETIA!" they screamed in unison

The shadow turned to face the sounds, allowing Sora to climb up and begin his escape, he couldn't move fast, he didn't want the shadow to hear him

The shadow continued, his deep voice echoing throughout the chamber "Then you shall face your second trial, the Reclamation of Fate. The Witch shall hold the keys of legend. The first of their kind. With their power she shall reclaim what was once taken from her"

Sora was now several feet off the ground, holding on to the branches, making sure he made no sounds

"Then you shall face your third trial, the Restoration of Kings. The walls of reality shall crumble and the kings of yore shall ascend.

Sora could make out the very top of the cave, he was almost free.

"And finally the fourth trial, the Rebirth of Light. Life will fold upon itself in a desperate attempt to save what is left. As one's life truly begins, another is brought to an end" The shadow paused for a moment before quickly turning, expecting to see Sora "There you shall find me...huh?" He stormed into the chamber, and noticed Sora now within reach of the top. "GRAWWWW…why you little…!" Sora looked down in horror, watching as the small child like arm of the shadow contorted and became a large demon like claw, streams of red energy emanating off of it "GET BACK HERE!" the shadow boomed as he extended his arm to impossible lengths, slamming the wall next to Sora, just narrowly missing him. The claw retracted back into the shadow's body "COME BACK…COME BACK…" he paused, quickly shaking his head and stumbling back. When he spoke again, the deep booming voice had seemingly been replaced by the child's original voice.

"Wha…what happened? Huh? Sora? Hey, where are you going?" The shadow looked down to see a strange liquid quickly filling the chamber. Before he knew it a sea of red and black energy quickly surrounded him. He looked towards the light, to Sora "Oh…oh no…no, no, no, Sora! Wait for me! Don't leave me, Please! I don't want to d-AHH" his pleas were quickly cut off as the sea of energy seemingly came to life, slamming him against the walls and quickly filling up the chamber.

Sora was but one step to freedom. "Please…I…I don't want to be alone…come back" the shadow child pleaded. Sora climbed over the edge and reached the top, finally emerging into the chamber from earlier. Sora had to cover his eyes so he could readjust to the light shining down from above. He stood up along the edge of the pit, looking down and seeing the shadow's hand still reaching for him as the red and black energy continued to rise, engulfing the shadow completely.

"I gotta get out of here and find someone. Whatever that stuff is, somebody could get hurt" Sora said aloud. He did a complete turn and began running toward the narrow pathway, towards the welcoming light of the island. Sora was huffing and breathing hard, running as fast as he could to get away, emerging into the outside world, feeling the rays of the sun hit his face and the constant pattering of the waterfall. He only took a few more steps until he accidentally ran into what he thought to be a wall. Sora fell, taking a moment to regain his bearings.

He looked up, shocked to see that it wasn't a wall but his best friend Riku. Riku looked at him curiously "Sora? Hey what happened to you, "I've been looking for you everywhere"

Sora shot up grabbing Riku's shoulders. "Riku, we gotta get out of here, there's some kind of cave back there! And there monsters and shadows and…and…we gotta get out of here!" Sora shouted, making little sense.

Riku didn't seem all too fazed by his friend's sudden outburst. Riku smirked "Come on Sora, scared of a few monsters?" Riku pulled away from Sora and ran past him straight into the cave. "Riku, don't!" Sora cried. He desperately ran after his friend, hoping to stop him before he got himself hurt.

He rushed through the narrow pathway, emerging into the cave's inner chamber "Riku? Riku? Ri…ku?" Sora stopped as he saw Riku standing, gawking at the chamber's interior. Sora looked around and saw no evidence of any cracks, there was no collapse. The pit he had fallen into had seemingly disappeared, as if it never happened.

"How…?" Sora questioned

Riku chuckled and turned to Sora with a wide Grin "See, no monsters"

"But…" Sora got out before being cut off "No buts!" Riku interjected "I can tell what you were doing. You thought that you could find this cool place and have it all to yourself! So you made up a story about monsters, hoping it would scare me away right? Nope, not getting past me mister!" he finished with his hands on his hips, standing triumphantly.

Unfortunately his victory was cut short by the sudden sobs of Sora "But they were really here, you gotta believe me"

Riku didn't want to hear his friend cry, he didn't mean to hurt his feelings. But luckily he knew just what to do.

"Hey Sora, how about this, I'll believe you on one condition ok?"

Sora looked up, wiping his tears away "What is it?" he asked

Riku walked up to Sora and extended his hand "From now on, this place belongs to us ok? This'll be our secret place! Just for the two of us! As long as we hold this place together, no more monsters will come!"

Sora seemed to believe his friends words, clinging onto them as comfort. "Promise?" Riku smiled and nodded in response

A bright smile spread across Sora's face "Ok it's a deal!" He shot up and grabbed hold of Riku's hand, giving it a lengthy shake. "Now come on, we should get back to the others. They were starting to think you chickened out" Riku sneered.

"Me? Why I'll show them! Come on Riku!" Sora shouted as he ran out of the Secret Place, closely followed by Riku. "Right behind you!"

* * *

 **Sora's Dorm Room**

 **Morning, Present Day**

Sora snapped up from his bed, free from the dreams of his past. He looked around the room, almost unsure if it was even real. He began to rub his temples as he recalled what he had seen in the night. "What was all of that? That wasn't real was it? How…how could I not remember all of that?" He began clutching his heart, hoping to find comfort in its warmth "What are you trying to tell me?"

Sora thought back to what the shadow had told him. "First you shall face the Revelation of the Past. Its darkness shall have three heads. The first, whose heart has succumbed to darkness. The Second, whose body resides in nothingness. And the Third, the Seeker himself, a master of manipulation." He repeated out loud.

"The first, whose heart has succumbed to darkness?" Sora thought for a few moments and quickly shot up "Its Ansem!" he exclaimed. "Then that means the Second, whose body resides in nothingness, is Xemnas. Which means the Third, the Seeker himself…Xehanort" Sora gave a long sigh and fell back onto his bed

"Well I guess that means one trial is down, yay…" he muttered, uncertainty clouding his thoughts "That just means I have to face my second trial…and my third…and my fourth. Man, if the first one wasn't hard enough." He laughed "The Witch shall hold the keys of legend…Hmm a Witch huh?" Sora thought for a moment "Maybe he meant Maleficent? That shouldn't be too hard, I've beaten her plenty of times." He paused. As much as he wanted to believe that, he knew it was just wishful thinking at best. "But the Keys of legend…first of their kind? Have no idea what that could mean." He remembered his previous dream and all of the images that flashed by him. He remembered the six keyblade wielders that stood in front of the light

"Restoration of Kings…the Kings of yore shall ascend? Rebirth of Light? Why can't it be a simple fetch quest like in a video game?"

Sora was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard his scroll ringing along the edge of his desk. Sora jumped up and quickly grabbed the device before its buzzing caused it to hit the ground. He opened it up to see who it was, surprised to see that the Vale Council was calling. He answered the call, pulling up a small holographic image of a woman in her late forties, she had long brown hair, and deep blue eyes. This was councilor Maria Faraday, one of longer standing members of Vale's governing council, and the head of Vale's scientific development programs.

"Hello Mr. Hikari. I do hope I didn't catch you at a bad time." She said cheerfully. Sora quickly tried to tidy up his ridiculously spiky hair, hoping to at least appear presentable "No, please don't worry about it councilor. And please, you don't need to be formal with me. Sora is just fine."

Maria nodded "Yes of course, my apologies. I meant no disrespect" Sora was put off by her apologetic nature. "So what can I do for you Councilor?" Sora asked politely

"Yes, well the council…well actually…I would like you to personally investigate a matter. It would mean a great deal to the scientific community, and is also of great importance to me."

"Ok…what's up?"

"Last night, one of our lead research facilities along Vale's Border failed to report in, and appears to be offline. The facility's research is extremely…sensitive" the councilor said sheepishly. "Sensitive…Sensitive how?" Sora questioned. Maria's head dropped "Only a handful of individuals from my own division are aware of this…we were…looking to understand how the mind of the Grimm worked, did they possess a sense of individualism, or were they guided by some sort of hive mind. General orders given out to the population as a whole. So we…"Procured"…live subjects…but…" she paused

'There always has to be a but' Sora thought

"…But that's just what those in the lab were told. In reality, its true purpose was to figure out a way to control the Grimm, issue orders of our own, and direct them as we saw fit." She admitted. Sora's eyes widened in horror "Control the Grimm! But that's crazy. What would you even use them for?"

"I understand your concern, but please try to understand the opportunities this could present to the Kingdom of Vale…no…all of the Kingdoms. If we were able to control the Grimm, we could lessen the burden on Huntsman, use them as an effective patrol along our border, and even have them attack their own kind." She paused taking a deep breath "We could effectively have the Grimm bring about their own end, both figuratively and literally." She finished

Sora couldn't deny that if it were possible, it would prove invaluable. However…

"I get it…I really do. If I had a switch that made all the Heartless turn on each other, I would want to use it as well. But you're messing with forces you don't understand and putting the lives of innocent people in danger!

The councilor clenched her hands "Yes, I'm fully aware of that. That is why I would like you to go and eliminate any subjects remaining, before there's an outbreak."

Sora nodded "I don't like what you were doing there Councilor, but I'll help you. I gather a team and we'll head straight…" Sora was then quickly cut off "No!" she insisted "I need you to go alone, I can't let any more learn about this"

Sora contemplated her request for a few moments. He shouldn't have any issue with some Grimm, he did take out an army of heartless once. "Ok, you can count on me. Just send me the location and ill head right over."

Maria smiled and clapped her hands in delight "Thank you Sora, this means a lot to me, sending you the location now." Sora looked at his scroll as the message popped up. The lab was located just outside the city. Sora's eyes widened as he saw the labs name…Merlot Labs. The same place from his dream, where that man, Aced was.

Sora looked to the image of the councilor once more "Anyway, thank you Sora, I need to go, I have a meeting in a few minutes. Best of luck to you" she finished as the image of her disappeared.

Sora stood stunned. Merlot Labs, none of this was a coincidence. This was a trap and he knew it. However...

"I can't ignore where my heart takes me, and if the Grimm do get out, people could get hurt. I can't let that happen. Ruby wouldn't forgive me if I didn't do something." He breathed deeply, walking toward his door and gently holding onto the handle "Alright, time to be a Hero of Justice" he muttered as he swung the door open and promptly headed out.

* * *

 **Vale City Hall, Councilor Maria Faraday's office**

 **Moments after her call with Sora**

The Councilor closed her scroll and breathed deeply "Please forgive me…" she said lowly

A woman stepped out from behind her and gently placed her hands on the Councilors shoulders. "You have nothing to apologize for, you did wonderfully"

The councilor swiveled her chair around to face the woman, staring straight into the face of Suimar Cor. She gave her a quick look, noting the strange attire she was wearing. Sui had been wearing a pale gray hooded cloak over a black robe, shirt, and sash, each with blue embroidering. Resting on a nearby window was a black ram mask. "Ms. Cor, I've done what-"

Sui quickly cut in "Please skip the formalities Councilor, please just call me Sui" she said with a warm smile

"Yes…um…Sui…."I've done what you've asked. Mr. Hikari…uh…Sora…he's on his way to the facility right now.

Sui's smile faded and was promptly replaced by a deep frown "Yes I'm aware"

"You said that if I helped deliver Sora, you would let my daughter go" she said, on the verge of tears.

Sui looked at her for a moment and nodded. She slowly walked up to the Councilors chair and spun it around, forcing her to face her desk. The councilor looked to her nervously.

"Pull up the feed from the lab. Hall 7F. Make sure there's audio" Sui commanded, a cold blue flare lighting up in her eyes

The councilor quickly typed in the necessary keystrokes, bringing up the holographic interface. She began cycling through different screens until she reached the screen reading 7F. She gasped as the image of a young woman came into view.

"Melanie…" Maria mewled. Melanie seemed to hear her, quickly looking towards the camera, tears flowing down the sides of her face. She was currently gagged and restrained in a chair. A man wearing a dark gray bear mask, a tan cloak, and a brown robe could be seen behind her. Maria noticed the slight glimmer of the weapon he was brandishing. A large blade shaped like a bear claw. A Keyblade.

Maria jumped as a burst of energy erupted in the office. To her left a Corridor of Light opened, and out walked a man in a white leopard mask, a pale yellow hooded cloak over a yellow robe. "Sui, we need to talk"

Sui rolled her eyes and groaned "Ugh, what is it Gula, can't you see I'm working" Gula crossed his arms impatiently "It's important, it's about Archer"

Sui began rubbing her temples in frustration "Damn that man, always causing trouble" She paused "Fine, the councilor and I were just finishing up anyway"

A mischievous grin spread across Gula's face "And what were you two pretty ladies working on exactly?"

"Come take a look" Sui invited him over beside her. Maria began sweating beads as the Foreteller stood over her menacingly. He looked to the screen seeing the restrained Melanie Faraday and chuckled. "Oh, little miss Melanie." He laughed "Shame, I'll miss her. She had the sweetest cries"

Maria clenched her fists. She dare not take any action, the safety of her child was in stake. Her eyes began wandering as she noticed something moving from the bottom of Gula's robe. Gula took notice and quickly grabbed Maria's head, turning it back to the screen "Now Councilor you wouldn't want to miss the grand finale would you?" He finished with a quick lick of his lips.

Maria looked at her daughter with fearful eyes. "Release the girl, Aced" Sui commanded, signaling the man in the screen. Aced made a quick motion of his hands, causing the ropes restraining Melanie to burn away. Melanie looked back at Aced, who gave her a warm smile. Melanie began gently messaging her wrists, reveling in the release of the pressure and pain caused by her restraints.

A sea of relief washed over Maria, she could finally go back to her life, free of worry.

…

…

…

But that relief was quickly washed away as Aced spun his Keyblade and pierced it into Melanie's back, causing a small burst of light to erupt from Melanie's chest. From the light, a small pink orb could be seen floating out. Aced withdrew his Keyblade, took the small glowing heart in his hands, and proceeded to crush it entirely. All light seemed to fade from Melanie as her lifeless body hit the ground.

Maria shot up "You Bastards! I'll kill you!" But as soon as she attempted to stand up, Gula forcefully sat her back down, slamming her head into the table. "Now where are your manners, if anything we did you a favor. The brat was nothing but a hindrance, you know that" he said gleefully

"You shut your mouth" she spat. "Oh I can only imagine how it must have felt to watch as your life is quite literally crushed before your eyes. Hmm it must have been delicious" He mocked

"Stop…." The Councilor sobbed. "Gula." Sui spoke up "That's enough, lift her up" she commanded

"Oh fine" Gula grabbed her by the hair and sat her up normally in her chair. "You…you…promised you wouldn't hurt her" Maria cried

Sui glared at her, showing little emotion "No we only promised that we'd let her go, not that we'd let her live. You saw it yourself, she no longer had any restraints, and we kept our promise" Sui sat atop the side of the Councilor's desk, looking down at the woman. "Now as for you, I do believe our business is concluded" She nodded her head in Gula's direction.

"Huh…Ugh!" Maria grunted as she felt the sharp end of Gula's lightning shaped Keyblade pierce her back, causing a burst of light to erupt from her chest. She watched in horror as the pink orb that was her heart slowly emerge and float out in front of her. Gula quickly took hold of it, leaning over her side "Well you're not quite as lively, but one can't be too picky I guess" Maria's body hit the desk hard as Gula crushed her heart into dust.

"Satisfied now?" Sui asked. Gula shook his head "Not really, perhaps I'll find other toys in the meantime" he said opening a corridor of light and preparing to leave.

"Wait" Sui called out "About Archer" she began, quickly spiking Gula's interest "What do you know?"

"Just what I've overheard from our dear "friends" at Beacon. Plus what's been on the news"

"Go on" Sui insisted.

"Well it seems in addition to inciting violence in the heart of Vale, he seems to have interacted with each member of Team RWBY at one point in their lives. With the Heiress, he seems to have been her teacher growing up, perhaps even a caring father figure in her life. With Ms. Belladonna, he seems to have saved her when she was only a kid. Sometime before her family moved to Menagerie to serve the White Fang. Before Ghira Belladonna's rise in power."

"And what of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long?" Sui cut in. A few moments of silence passed by before a sinister smile creeped across Gula's face "It seems as though Archer popped up on their doorstep one day…immediately following the death of their mother." Sui clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. This seemed to be the desired effect Gula wanted "Strike a nerve?" he asked, to which Sui shot a death inducing glare in his direction. "Seems I did" he confirmed.

Sui sighed and her expression softened "Did any of the girls…mention what he was wearing?" Gula's eyebrows shot up from behind his mask. "I don't see why that would mat-"

"Just answer the question!" Sui demanded, raising her voice. "Yes" he began "In his encounters with Ruby, Weiss and Yang, he seemed to have been wearing the usual red coat and body armor. But in his encounter with Blake, it seems he was wearing a-"

"White hooded cloak?" Sui asked. Gula was puzzled by her question "Yes, a White hooded cloak, how did you know that?"

Sui sighed deeply, "That was his favorite" a whole minute of silence passed by until Gula Spoke up "Well as much as I'd love to discuss the man's wardrobe I still fail to see its importance."

"Well perhaps if you actually took the time to listen to Salem, you would understand! You would understand what Archer represents. What he IS." She paused, trying to contain her frustration "Archer isn't human. Perhaps you get that much"

"Ok, then if he isn't human what is he?" Gula asked. "A Servant" Sui replied. Gula cocked his head in confusion. "And that is...?"

Sui sighed "A type of spirit. I dont have to get into details. All you need to know is that they're extremely dangerous and extremely powerful. And as a spirit he isn't bound to the same laws of time and space like we are. He can go wherever and whenever he pleases."

"Which means…" Gula interjected, hoping for more clarification. "Which means, it isn't entirely out of the question that when he is encountered, it can be from any point in his timeline."

"That's confusing" Gula stated, scratching his head. "It's time travel, what did you expect?" she shot back.

"It's possible that we could run into Archer from his younger days. When he was still stubbornly loyal and ready to serve our Lady's benefactor. We could also very well encounter a more experienced Archer, from when he began to distance himself, fighting for his own independence. Or we could go against Archer in his later days, when his interests no longer aligned with both his Master and our Lady Salem. When he cursed the life fate dealt him" Sui explained, clearly stressed

"If I had to guess, Blake's encounter with Archer was most likely of his past. He used to wear that white cloak all the time. What was he doing? Perhaps acting on his own will? His fight against Ventus and Weiss? Most likely when he was more seasoned. And his encounter with Ruby and Yang, his future, definitely"

"How can you be so sure?" Gula asked. "I'm sure, trust me" she insisted. "I know him better then anybody"

Gula smiled wickedly "Come on! Stop worrying, we're Foretellers, what's the worst he could do?" Sui shook her head "A lot, Gula. A lot. He's not someone you should underestimate"

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts" Gula mocked. "He's not a ghost, he's a spirit. There's a difference" Sui scolded. "Whatever, who cares?!" Gula's smile continued to stretch across his face "Y'know I'm curious. If he were to see you, would he attack?"

Sui looked at Gula, bearing a face of both shock and concern "I think that depends entirely on which version we encounter. Past, Present, or future" she said lowly. "So what's our plan?" Gula asked. "For now, we do nothing. We cant risk accidentally attacking a younger version of him, unless we want Salem to bring hell down on our heads"

Gula quickly turned towards his Corridor "Well boss, thanks for the lesson, I'll be sure to be on my guard!"

"You know, I think that body of yours is starting to have a bad influence on you." Sui hissed. Gula turned back, a bit ticked off "My body? What's wrong with my body? I'm tall! I'm handsome! I'm ripped! I'm-"

"You're a Faunus" Sui said coldly

Gula actually seemed offended by Sui's words "What's wrong with being a Faunus?" he asked.

"You can't go anywhere without getting some dirty look. Your tail is far too noticeable" she said pointing to something moving from the bottom of Gula's robe. "Perhaps if you just let me cut it off, it'll make everything a lot easier" Sui offered, making a slight movement towards the appendage.

To Sui's surprise, Gula jumped back, exposing his tail completely and holding it in his arms. His face was full of terror, and the inflection in his voice was now distinctly different. "Whoa hold it there missy! You are not touching the tail! I don't care who you are!"

Sui stepped back, surprised to see the sudden shift in her colleague. "Gula? Is that…?" Gula tucked his tail back under his robe. "Ahem…hmm…sorry about that" he said, his voice returning to normal "That was…a moment of weakness…it won't happen again"

Sui shook her head disapprovingly "Which is all the more reason why you should find a new host. When Salem extracted your hearts, she damaged them in the process, forcing the five of you to acquire new bodies. Everyone else chose a recently deceased host, that way there'd be no struggle, well everyone besides you and Ira"

"What so Ira's the exception huh?"

"Both he and Evan are one and the same now, that's different. Evan was willing, but yours…not so much." Sui walked up to Gula, lowered his hood and removed his mask. She examined his features closely. He had short spiky light blonde hair and blue eyes. "And he wasn't as picky as you" she added

"What's wrong with having standards?"

"Nothing wrong with standards. Just as long as it doesn't become an issue. This boy…he's far too lively. He's too close to the enemy. I'm afraid you'll lose your focus and I can't risk you losing control" Gula grabbed his mask and placed back onto his face. "I'll take care of it." Gula turned once more and began walking towards his Corridor of Light

"Gula" Sui called out "I'm counting on you to keep Sun Wukong in check" And with that he walked through the corridor, and disappeared.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

Sora only made it out a few steps before being halted. "Sora?" He heard Ruby call out. Sora turned to see Ruby emerging from her team's dorm, already dressed for the day in her usual attire "What are you doing up so early?" she asked

"Oh hey Ruby! Got a special mission from Councilor Faraday, gotta head out today." He admitted. Ruby's face lit up from excitement "a mission from the Councilor! Wow! Think I could tag along?"

Sora began scratching the back of his head, sheepishly avoiding Ruby's gaze "Sorry Ruby, the Councilor just wanted me on this, you know how it is, Keyblade business." Ruby's face dropped in disappointment. "Oh, of course, that's fine" But her cheerful nature soon returned "But if you need some backup, you know who to call, got it" she said gently taking hold of his hand. "Don't worry I won't forget" Sora said, giving a quick thumbs up. "Anyway, what are you doing up so early?"

"Oh that's right!" she shot up "Weiss is supposed to be cleared from the infirmary shortly. I was gonna head there and wait for her. Then I was going to train with her for a bit. She needs to be ready for the Doubles Round tomorrow if Team RWBY is up"

'I'm sure Ven wouldn't mind seeing that" Sora snickered. Ruby giggled "If he enjoys seeing Weiss yell about how my form is off, he'll be in for a show" Sora planted a quick kiss on Ruby's lips "Alright I gotta go, and don't worry, I should be back sometime later today!" He shouted as he ran off

"Be careful!" Ruby yelled, waving as he ran off.

Soon after emerging into the courtyard, Sora saw the familiar faces of Neptune Vasilias and Jaune Arc. The two quickly ran up to him "Hey Sora, how've you been?" Neptune asked, giving Sora a quick fist bump. "I'm good thanks man. Hey sorry I missed your match against NDGO" Sora replied, flashing a bright smile

Neptune darted his eyes, avoiding Sora "Oh…um…heh heh…don't worry about it, if anything I would have preferred you didn't see it anyway"

"Um…why" Sora questioned. "Well…" Neptune began. "Neptune's afraid of the water" Jaune shot in "Hey Jaune, come on man!" Neptune whined

"You can't be serious"

"Yea it's true" Neptune admitted shamefully. Sora struggled to contain his laughter, having to bite his lip. "I know I practically had the same reaction" Jaune added. "Come on, it's a totally legitimate fear!"

"No not saying it's not." Sora agreed "Just a little surprised" Neptune's head fell from embarrassment, but quickly shot back up again, returning to his usual cool demeanor. "Anyway, have you seen Sun? I've been looking everywhere for him" Sora shook his head "Sorry Neptune, haven't seen him"

Neptune checked his scroll "He hasn't answered his scroll. No matter. If you see him give me a call ok. I'm gonna go catch up with Scarlet and Sage, they might have an idea. Anyways, see you guys later!" Neptune ran off noticing his teammates Scarlet David and Sage Ayana in the distance, leaving Sora and Jaune alone.

Sora shot Jaune a bright smile "So Jaune, where are you heading off to?"

"Just got a bite to eat, gonna head over to the usual spot with Pyrrha and train. Wanna join? I think I almost got spin move you showed me!" he said excitedly.

"Damn it…" Sora muttered. A wave of guilt crashed over him. Sora and Pyrrha were both helping to train Jaune so he could become a stronger Huntsman. Sora was proud of how much he's improved in the last six months. Sora was even able to teach Jaune some of more basic attack moves that he uses with the Keyblade. Unfortunately He hasn't been able to make it to some of Jaune's sessions as of late. Both Sora and Ruby were going out on more and more missions, making it difficult to find the time to help. "Sorry buddy, I have a special mission I need to head out on, it's important, maybe next time?"

Jaune's face fell "Alright, I understand" He said lowly. Sora patted Jaune's shoulders "Come on cheer up! Listen, I promise I'll make it next time, I swear. It's just…this mission is important." Sora's face lit up as an idea came into his head. "How about this? I should be back later today, we can train then. I got some new moves I wanted you to try"

Jaune's smile returned "Yea sounds good! I'll let Pyrrha know" Sora nodded and smirked wickedly. "You know, speaking about Pyrrha, the dance is coming up, are you gonna ask her out?"

Jaune jumped back, his face flushed from embarrassment "Wha…P-Pyrrha!? What are you talking about?"

Sora rose his eyebrows, maybe Jaune was even more oblivious then him. "Well, you still don't have a date yet. So why don't you just ask Pyrrha? She's like your best friend."

Jaune mumbled, struggling to formulate words "but…but…it's Pyrrha…"

Sora chuckled a bit "And…that means?"

Jaune continued to pull his brain together as the idea flooded his brain "But….its Pyrrha…PYRRHA NIKOS!" He said, emphasizing the last part. "Yes she is and you're JAUNE ARC!" Sora replied, emphasizing his name and teasing him. "Why does that matter?"

"Because it's Pyrrha! I can't go with her! Not that she isn't pretty or anything…oh man…I meant that she wouldn't go with somebody like…me" Jaune spat out

"Listen Jaune, you won't know until you try. Worst that could happen is that she says no. But if you ask me, I think she would love to go with you"

Jaune stood confused "What makes you say that?" Sora shrugged "No particular reason, just a feeling."

Jaune stood in silence, gathering his thoughts "I'll…I'll think about it."

Sora sighed, accepting what victories he could get. "Ok…good enough" Sora shot back up "Anyway, I gotta get going, I don't wanna waste any time. The sooner I get this mission over with, the sooner I get back. I'll see you later ok!" Sora said as he ran off towards Beacon's docks. "Good luck!" Jaune offered as support.

Upon arriving at the Docks, Sora ran to the Cliffside overlooking the city. He scanned the area, gazing upon the vast expanse of Vale's territory. He brought up his scroll, looking at the coordinates given to him. "Ok, it should be…..there!" he exclaimed, pointing to in the distance. "Just outside the city…Ok here we go!" Sora summoned his Kingdom Key, leaped back and pointing it towards the cliff. The tip of the blade began to emit a faint glow, resulting in a Corridor of Light opening in front of the Keyblade Master. Sora took a moment, remembering the things he's seen in his dreams. "Ok, here goes nothing" He stepped though the corridor, flooding his senses with warm light.

* * *

 **Merlot Labs, outside the Kingdom of Vale**

A few moments passed by before emerging back into the physical world. He watched as the corridor closed behind him, and observed the landscape now surrounding him. He was currently standing in the parking lot. Or at least what was left of it. From what Sora could tell, fighting had broken out, people were fleeing. A deep sense of dread filled Sora, noticing a car, still covered in smoke, its passengers still sitting inside. "Looks like they didn't get out in time" As Sora continued to walk forward, he noted the charred cars, the numerous bullet holes riddling the ground, and the shell casings that lie next to the decomposing corpses of what looked like some of the scientists. Sora held his Kingdom Key close, ready for any sudden Grimm attack, but fortunately it seemed like none were in sight.

Sora found himself at the facility's entrance, looking up at the lab's large sign "Merlot Labs". Its main entrance seemed to have been closed off, a large metallic wall halting his path. "I guess they managed to activate the security measures. They managed to stop any more Grimm from getting out." Sora's mind was quickly filled with despair, understanding the morbid situation. "Which means those that remained…never mind I don't even wanna think about it.

Sora pointed his keyblade towards the metal barrier, shooting off a beam of light. The light quickly spread across the walls surface, bathing it in its light. In a few moments the light disappeared, taking the wall with it. Now in its place were a small set of glass doors. Sora didn't want to waste any time, he needed to eliminate any Grimm still inside.

He approached one of the glass doors, slowly opening it, and entering the dismal lab. "Looks like the lobby" he said aloud. The lights were out, the facility no longer had power. Sora looked around noticing the receptionist desk, a large splatter of blood across the wall behind it. Approaching the desk, Sora noticed it was more than a mere splatter of blood, it was writing. Sora read it aloud "Alive inside, retreated back to Hall 7F. Tell them I'm sorry" The end of the "Y" seemed to drag down to the ground. Looking over the desk, Sora could see the body of man wearing a blood stained lab coat, slashes marking his body. His hand, while covered in blood, clutched a large tablet.

Sora knelt beside the man, looking at all of fatal injuries that marked his body. The Tablet held in his hand, still glowed with power. Sora took it from the man, wiping away blood from the screen. Several boxes inhabited the screen's space, large glowing words at their center "Facility lockdown sequence – Activated" Sora looked back to the man "He must have been the one who placed the lab on lockdown" But something on the tablet was bothering him. Underneath the activation sequence was a time stamp for when it went into effect

"This can't be right. It says here the lockdown was activated…three weeks ago? But the Councilor said it only went down yesterday" Sora placed the tablet down and clenched his fists "Just what wasn't she telling me?"

"Sssssss….So….Sol…." a voice hissed out in the distance

Sora jumped up, readying his kingdom Key, and facing the source of the voice. Towards the end of the hall, covered by the darkness, stood a black, slender figure. Sora couldn't make out any of its details, but he could see that it appeared humanoid. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Sora called out. The figure, still under the cover of darkness, simply stood there, its long arms making the occasional erratic twitch. "Sssss…Solo…Ssss…Sol…!" the figure hissed before turning and running away.

Sora ran after the figure, stopping at the edge of the room, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Around him were seven large doors, each labeled differently. "Hall 1F, 2F, 3F, 4F, 5F, 6F, and…7F...the same hall mentioned in the writing" It was where the dark figure went. It could lead him to other survivors, if there ever were. Sora began walking down the hall's long corridor. Several bodies of the scientists were plopped up against the walls. No evidence of any Grimm, but then again, there never is once they die.

Eventually he came across a small room with three doors. The first door led back into the nearby Hall 6F. The second door was labeled with an arrow pointing straight ahead. Directly under the arrow read "Cafeteria" 'maybe that's where they retreated back to'. Unfortunately directly under cafeteria read another label "Advanced Testing Chambers" 'That didn't sound too great'.

To Sora's right was the third door, partially open, a man's arm hanging out the bottom, stopping whatever protocol the door had from closing completely. Small sparks could be seen occasionally from inside the room. A small blinking red light lit the side of the door. Curious, Sora approached the room, using both arms, he forcefully pushed the doors open, and stepped inside. The room was dark, but bright enough from the sun's light radiating through the windows. Directly in front of him appeared to be a large padded room, perhaps where they were testing one of their experiments. The Padded room was blocked off with a wall of glass. To Sora's right was a large console, various buttons dotting its surface. Two chairs lie on the ground, seemingly pushed over when the scientists began their frantic escape. The man in the door wasn't fast enough to get away.

There was a pulsating red light coming from the console. Sora approached it and pressed it, not really seeing the harm in pressing a big red button. A large holographic screen instantly popped up. Sora leaned in, looking across its contents "Lab reports of Dr. Martin" Sora said to himself. There only seemed to be five reports. Sora clicked the first report, promptly pulling up an audio file.

In a few seconds the file began playing "Hello, this is Dr. Merrick Martin, head of Merlot's central division. This will be my first entry in what will undoubtedly be my team's most rigorous task yet." Dr. Martin took a moment to sigh "Councilor Faraday has ordered the lab to focus our efforts into studying the Grimm. More specifically, how the Grimm mind works. Are they individualistic, or perhaps more. Are they merely savage beasts, or do they possess some form of intelligence. While studies have been conducted on this matter in the past, none have ever been as…invasive as we have. Perhaps this study will yield results worth pursuing. Hehe, maybe I'll even publish my findings. On a final note, I've attached several files of past, similar studies into this file. If I should require them for future reference, of course" Sora jumped a little as several documents popped up on the side of the screen "end log" the audio file stopped and closed

Sora proceeded to activate the second audio file, watching with acute curiosity as the audio file popped up and opened "Second entry" Dr. Martin began "We haven't found any significant findings as of yet. It's already been three weeks. From as far as we can tell, the Grimm each act of their individual will, but seem to adhere to a collective order, some primal function. Something engraved in their DNA that tells them to seek out negative emotion and kill humans. Councilor Faraday is sending a pair of "experts" to come and help. A….Doctor Ira and…a Doctor Invi. I've never heard of them, perhaps some of my colleagues from the University know more. The Councilor is expecting me to meet with them, apparently they have some kind of proposal for me. End Log"

Sora wasted no time and brought up the third entry. "Third entry. We've been lied to. The Councilor, that lying snake. Finding the hidden truths of the Grimm mind was never the purpose of this experiment. The councilor…she wants to harness the Grimm, use them, and bark them orders! I…can't…it's too dangerous! There's no guarantee something like this is even feasibly possible. If…if…we miss one thing…just one thing at all…lives could be put at stake! And yet…as hard as it is for me to say this…we've actually yielded results. Everything changed once Ira and Invi arrived…they're…well I don't know what they are really. But it's incredible! We've actually been able to tap into the Grimm consciousness!" The doctor gave a long sigh.

Sora could tell that despite the news, something was bothering the doctor. "Which brings me to the unfortunate news. Ira and Invi believe the next step is…human trials. Connecting the minds of both man and beast in order to establish the connection necessary to issue orders. It is now apparent to me that this experiment no longer holds any ethical guidelines. Before I even signed off, Ira and Invi brought in several dozen volunteers. Hmm, I say volunteers like they had a choice. The truth is that they're prisoners held on death row, perhaps days maybe weeks away from certain death. I am a scientist! I take no pleasure from this kind of savagery. But I do nothing unless it is with the absolute intent of bettering humanity. Further trials have been relocated to the Advanced Testing Chambers. I pray all the souls that give their life for this, forgive me. End log"

Sora opened the fourth entry, his heart clouded with despair. The horror these people were playing with. "Fourth entry. Their screams haunt me every night. I keep on seeing their faces, cursing me, begging me. I see them writhing in pain as the very essence of the Grimm fills the pod. What they've become…its something nobody should be forced to see. Since the human trials…we've yielded no new results. Everything has ended in failure, yet Ira and Invi believe we are on the right path. As the days stretched on and on, its become harder and harder to collect my thoughts. My whole team, we've been on edge lately. Some of my most entrusted employees have had to call out sick several times…they've never done that before. Perhaps they hear it too. Perhaps they hear the cries of our victims as they struggle to speak. Always the same, always hissing at us. We don't know what they're trying to say. They seem to get as far as forming the word "Solom", but we have no idea what that means. I can feel them clawing at the edges of my mind. End log"

Sora speedily approached the final entry, unsure of what he'd hear. Without any delay he pulled it up. An alarm could be heard blaring in the background. The doctor was laughing quietly. "I finally get it now! Haha! I can see what our Lady wants for us, oh how radiant she stands amongst us. We are but ants beneath her. I am ready to serve my Queen! She only wishes to open the door and reclaim what is her birthright! So she may find our lost King, the lord of all magic, and protector of the light!"

Sora could now hear almost feral screams quickly approaching. The doctor seemed to step away from the console and walk into the hall. "The Time of Parting has Come, He is the One Who Lets Go of the World!" Dr. Martin yelled "The Time of Crowning has Come, He is the One Who Begins All! The Time of Birth has Come, He is the One who Masters All! Oh! So you've arrived! My children, embrace me as I have you!"

Sora listened closely, the sound of hissing echoing throughout the file "Sssss…ssol….SOOAAAWWWWW!" Sora stepped back, wanting to shut everything out. He could hear as the creatures began to tear the doctor apart, limb from limb. The doctor simply laughed as his life ended horrifically. The file would go on for whole minute, silence filling the air. Then out of nowhere, a new voice spoke up. "Sora." The voice began. A man, he had a cold and stern voice. Sora shot up upon hearing his name, standing completely still as the file continued "I know you'll find this Sora. And when you do, you may be confused. But I promise you, in time, you will find the answers you seek. But for now, all I guess I can say is…I'm sorry" And with that the file ended.

"Huh?' Sora quickly turned as the sound of pattering footsteps came from behind him. He only had mere moments when the large figure of a man in a red coat came in and connected his fist straight to Sora's face. The last thing Sora could see before his vision went black were the cold gray eyes of Archer. In a single hit, Sora went down, and lost consciousness

* * *

 **Amity Coliseum, One day later**

Ruby and Weiss stood in a small pathway, away from the tournaments onlookers. They looked up, watching as the randomizer sorted through the list of students. "And the next match will be…" The booming voice of Professor Port began, waiting for the randomizer to fall upon two teams "Team RWBY of Beacon! Versus…Team FNKI of Atlas! The final match for today shall begin in thirty minutes folks!"

Professor Oobleck could be heard clearing his throat. "If you would like the time to get refreshments, PLEASE DO SO IMMEDIATELY!" he yelled. Weiss scoffed and turned, watching as people would walk by the commons area. Some had food, some had drinks, and some were Ven. Weiss laughed as the Keyblade Wielder walked by, several boxes of popcorn and three large drinks in hand, struggling to move. Ven seemed to notice the heiress and waved, somehow freeing his hand. Weiss smiled and gave his a thumbs up, silently wishing him luck as more and more popcorn began falling out.

Weiss turned back towards the stadium, noticing the pale expression of her young leader. "Ruby? What's wrong?" Ruby shot up, pulled out of her thoughts "Oh…um…its nothing. Just thinking about…stuff. Don't worry." She said, shooting Weiss a fake smile

"It's about Sora isn't it?" Weiss questioned. Ruby opened her mouth, most likely to deny it, but she knew her partner could see right through her. "Yes…" ruby replied "I haven't heard from him since yesterday. He hasn't been picking up his Scroll. I'm just…I'm just worried something…"

"Ruby…" Weiss cut off "I'm sure Sora is fine. You shouldn't be worrying yourself like this. It isn't healthy."

"But…"

"No buts!" Weiss commanded. "He probably just got caught up with whatever he was doing and misplaced his Scroll. It wouldn't be the first time." Weiss laughed.

"Maybe…" Ruby replied, still deep in uncertainty. Weiss frowned "I'm gonna have to give that boy a serious lecture when he gets back!" She turned to her leader and gave her a quick, comforting hug. Ruby smiled, appreciating Weiss's softer side. "Anyway, I need to go find Yang, make sure she's ready to go. I'll catch you later ok. Just make sure you're out there cheering us on" Weiss quickly turned on her heels and walked out towards the commons area "Don't worry, wouldn't miss the butt whooping your gonna give them!" Ruby's smile remained as she watched Weiss catch up with Ven, taking a couple boxes of popcorn and a drink into her arms, all of which came as great sense of relief to the Keyblade wielder. However, her smile soon faded as both Ven and Weiss faded into the crowd.

Ruby turned back into the stadium, looked up to the clear blue sky and breathed deeply "Just where are you Sora?"

* * *

 **Merlot Labs, outside the Kingdom of Vale**

Sora laid in darkness, unaware as the world transpired around him. He lay stiff on the ground, his face buried in rubble and dirt. The whole facility was silent. The only sound breaking though the silence was the small pattering of footsteps heading in Sora's direction. In but a few moments a man appeared, standing over the unconscious body of Sora. He had tan skin, golden eyes, and long messy white hair, stretching almost down to his back. He wore a long Black and Red Robe, a large red tassel wrapping around his waistline and falling down the middle. The top half of his Robe was White at its center, completely embroidered with gold. He wore a white and red cloak over his shoulders, partially covering his back. His arms were decorated with intricate black etchings, running up and down his arms. He wore ten rings, one on each finger. nine of which were gold, the other being silver. He looked down at Sora's pitiful state, feeling sorry for the boy "He really did a number on you didn't he?" the man said.

He brought his hands together, intertwining his fingers with each other. The black etchings that ran up and down his arms began glowing, bathing the man's body in a golden energy. "Ars Paulina" he said, emitting a powerful burst of light, enveloping both his body and Sora's. When the light faded away, both the man and Sora had seemingly disappeared.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. I know it is a bit lengthy this time, but we're starting to get into some of the major development of the plot. I am also aware that this chapter introduces A LOT of elements into the story. But I Promise, all will be explained. All in time. Please feel free to leave any questions, comments or predictions in the reviews. Or just message me if you want to ask me something.**

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 **Next chapter: Ursus**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	16. Ursus

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY, or the Fate series**

 **They are owned by Square Enix, Rooster Teeth, and Type-Moon respectively**

 **Hey Guys, sorry for the long wait. Ive been pretty busy, but I managed to find some spare time to finish up this chapter. Before I get to the chapter I would like to thank all the new Favs and Follows this story has received since my last update**

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 **On with the chapter**

 **Guardians of Remnant**

Chapter 15 – Ursus

Sora's eyes fluttered open. He groaned in pain as he slowly rose to his feet. "Damn…feels like a truck hit me. Huh? Where…am I?" Sora looked around, spinning in circles, marveling the new sights around him. No longer was he surrounded by the dark confines of the Lab, but shining marble. Sora stood up, staring at the large white marble pillars that surrounded him. But perhaps what really caught Sora's attention was the sight that laid on the horizon. Or rather lack of one. He stared on into the great void of the cosmos, watching as stars would blink and shimmer. Turning straight ahead, he could see that the marble floor led to a flight of stairs, ultimately leading to a large temple in the distance. A temple of marble sitting among the stars, floating in the vastness of space.

From the temple, Sora could hear a man yelling "Oh Damn! That can't be right! Where did I put that vial?" Sora, still captivated by the floating cosmic temple, decided to head up the flight of stairs, and investigate the voice. Sora carefully navigated his way towards the floating temple. Crystallized structures dotted the surface, shining in a variety of colors. It was spectacular.

After a few minutes, Sora found himself by the entrance of the temple. He pushed one of the large marble doors open and stepped inside. The interior of the temple was rather plain. The marble walls seemed to reflect light in all directions. Its design reminded him of Castle Oblivion's interior. Sora looked up, noticing that the temple had no ceiling. A sea of stars dotted the sky. Towards the end of the large temple were stairs leading to a large platform. Atop the platform appeared to be a throne, rising towards the stars. Crystals dotted the throne, reflecting various forms of light onto it. Sora could hear the sounds of liquids bubbling, glass breaking and paper being thrown about.

Sora approached the stairs and summoned his Keyblade. He didn't want to risk anything. He took but one step when a voice rang out "That won't be necessary, you can put the weapon away. Please come on up." Sora kept his Keyblade out, unsure of the stranger's intentions. He walked up the stairs cautiously, taking each step slowly, and waiting for a fight to break out. "Oh come on! You can walk a little bit faster than that! Here I'll lend you a hand!" The stranger cheerfully said. The staircase glowed for a moment and then proceeded to move on its own. Each step was seemingly rising, bringing Sora along with it. "You know I don't know why I don't keep it like that. Escalators are far more interesting then stairs!" the stranger called out. The shifting staircase quickly brought Sora up to the top, quickly dropping him off on top of the Throne's platform. Now at the top Sora could see the stranger. He had tan skin, golden eyes, and long messy white hair, stretching almost down to his back. He wore a long Black and Red Robe, a large red tassel wrapping around his waistline and falling down the middle. The top half of his Robe was White at its center, completely embroidered with gold. He wore a white and red cloak over his shoulders, partially covering his back. His arms were decorated with intricate black etchings, running up and down his arms.

He was currently kneeling underneath a desk, sorting through dozens of papers. Atop the desk were several vials interconnected with each other. Sora laughed internally, the whole scene reminded him of how Merlin would brew potions in his workshop. "Did you have a nice nap?" the stranger asked, still feverishly searching through papers. "Aha, here it is!" He exclaimed, shooting upwards into the desk and hitting his head on the hard surface.

Sora began to relax, he didn't seem to be posing any threat. The stranger rose, rubbing the large bump on his head. He placed the paper down and turned to face Sora "Well?" he asked

Sora jumped up "oh yes…I think I did…um…what exactly happened?"

The stranger began tinkering with some chemicals from a few vials, mixing them, shaking them, and even drinking them. "Hmm doesn't quite taste right" he said to himself, forgetting Sora's presence.

Sora cleared his throat, signaling the stranger "Oh yes! Sorry! Well to put it bluntly, a rather rude individual came in and made easy work of you. I found you and brought you here"

"Um…thanks I guess" Sora muttered, put off by the brutal honesty the man had. The man was intensely observing a vial, filled with a glowing pink liquid. The man narrowed his eyes and turned towards Sora. "Didn't I ask you to put the weapon away" His cheerful expression quickly left his face, his golden eyes piercing through Sora's soul. "Um…I…"Sora began muttering, forgetting that he still held the Kingdom Key. Sora stepped back a bit, this man was putting off some serious magic energy, even more than Yen Sid, maybe even more than Xehanort. The man's smile soon returned "Fine, so be it." He raised his right arm and with a snap of his fingers The Kingdom Key disappeared. Sora was stunned to see the Kingdom Key suddenly appear in the hand of the man. He smiled, turning it over and observing it. "Marvelous weapon" he uttered. "You may return to your master, young one" he whispered to the Keyblade. Soon, the keyblade emitted a strong light and disappeared. Sora could feel the Kingdom Key's presence return to him, but he was still shocked by the man's effortless display of power.

Sora's mouth dropped, staring at both his hand and back to the man "how did you…how did you do that?" Sora asked. Unfortunately the stranger was already back at work observing his vials, checking to make sure they had the proper chemicals. The man simply smiled while his hands were at work, humming a tune to himself. 'Man this guy doesn't even care that I'm here!' Sora thought. "Hmm this could work" the man said as he mixed two of his vials together. Curious, Sora leaned in closer to get a better look "What are you working on?" he asked. This immediately caught the man's attention

"Oh this? Just an experiment. Old friend of mine. She had these Mystic eyes" he said turning to Sora and pointing to his eyes excitedly "Truly fascinating trait. She could petrify an individual with just one gaze. And depending on the victim's level of mana, they could very well be frozen indefinitely."

"So…you're trying to create a cure, so victims aren't frozen forever?" Sora asked. The man shot up, deep in thought "Well that would be the noble thing to say, but no, just simply curious." The man picked up the sheet of paper, perusing its contents. The man sighed, "Seems like this'll require some additional research. Oh well, perhaps another time" he placed the paper onto the desk and waved his hand. Sora watched in amazement as the desk and all of its contents faded away into particles of light. "Besides, it's rather rude of me to ignore a guest" the man said, turning towards his throne and sitting down. "I suppose you have questions."

Sora laughed nervously "Yea just a few. This place…what is….wait…no…never mind…first off who are you?"

The stranger smiled "I do suppose we are in need for introductions. "I am Solomon. And I'm well aware of who you are, Sora Hikari"

"You've been watching me?" Sora questioned. "I suppose you could say that." He admitted.

"Ok then, I guess the better question is WHAT are you?" Sora questioned, positive the man wasn't what he appeared to be. Solomon smiled "A friend" he answered, deciding to be as cryptic as possible.

"Why did you bring me here? Where even is here?" Sora asked, pointing to the stars that dotted the sky, pointing in all directions where the ground ended and space began. "Well I was merely passing through and I saw you were in a bit of trouble. Any decent person would have stopped to help." Solomon laughed nervously. "However the question of where you are…that's a bit complicated." Solomon lifted his arms as if to emphasize the temple's beauty "This is my Time Temple! A small plane of reality I get to call my own. Nice right?"

Sora couldn't deny how grand this place felt and looked. Everywhere he looked seemed to radiate light and warmth. He felt such elation as he gazed out into the cosmos that surrounded the floating piece of land. The whole universe stretched out before him. Sora nodded in agreement, it would be crazy not to.

Solomon continued "As for where that is exactly…that's where it gets a little complicated. It doesn't exactly exist within the confines of time and space, those are merely concepts here. The only law that exists here is my own." Solomon paused. "so I suppose you could say it exists everywhere and nowhere. But if I were to give it a physical location from which you could understand…hmm…we are currently occupying the same space as Team RWBY's bathroom." He said nonchalantly.

"Huh?" Sora muttered, his face slightly red

"Oh and if you look really hard you can actually make out Yang! Looks like she's getting ready to take a shower." Solomon snickered

Sora quickly placed his hands over his eyes, turned a deep shade of red, and panicked "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything! Please don't be mad!"

Solomon struggled to contain his laughter "Relax, it was only a joke. You can uncover your eyes" Sora obliged and sighed "That's not funny" he said

"Worry not, you're still technically exactly where I found you in Merlot Labs. And Yang couldn't be back in the dorm, she's currently getting ready for the doubles round with Weiss"

Sora narrowed his eyes "Ok…oh! Wait! Doubles Round!? How long have I been here?" Sora pulled out his scroll and opened it up "Damn, no service" Solomon began chuckling "You really believed the CCT could reach this far?" he laughed. "Answer me! How long have I been here?" Sora demanded

Solomon tapped his chin "Let me see…hmm…about two millennia, so not too bad." Sora gritted his teeth "This isn't a joke!"

Solomon tried to contain his laughter "I apologize. It's…been a while since I've had a guest. Perhaps my jokes are in foul taste" he ended with a light smile, his voice full of emotion

Sora, now calm, began speaking again "Its fine, Just answer my question, please!"

Solomon nodded in agreement "Of course, but in all seriousness you've been here for about a day I suppose"

"A whole day! Ruby is definitely worried. And I missed training with Jaune! I let him down again" Sora's face fell

"Cheer up Sora! You'll make it up to him in time, I promise you. But you have other matters you need to take care of" Solomon declared. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it would appear you've been having some strange dreams as of late. Am I correct?" Sora's eyes widened in surprise "You know about the dreams I've been having!?" Solomon nodded in response. "What are they? Why am I having them now, of all times? What is my heart trying to tell me? Please, I need to know." Sora pleaded

Solomon gave Sora a warm smile "It's quite simple really. You're clairvoyant."

"What? What do you mean I'm…that's impossible…how could I suddenly have the ability to see the future?" Sora responded.

Solomon sighed "Well you see there comes a time in every boy's life where their body goes through a lot of changes. It can be confusing at times, but I'm sure you'll get through it."

Wha…?" Sora muttered before realizing what he meant. His face became red from embarrassment. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're can't be seriously saying that I can suddenly tell the future because of Puberty!? That's ridiculous!" Solomon chuckled lightly "Yes, I agree! It is completely ridiculous, but I can't control hormones!"

"Come on! Stop joking around! Tell me the truth!" Sora pleaded. Solomon's smile faded "As much I don't want to say this, I wasn't joking. Please allow me to explain." He paused, waiting for Sora's approval. "You see, every human being possesses some affinity for magic. One's affinity however, is determined by their magic circuits."

"Magic circuits?"

"Yes. Magic circuits are…how do I put this…a pseudo-nervous system that spreads itself through the human body. While these circuits remain dormant for most humans, there are those who have been able to unlock and harness them, hence the gift of magic. The more circuits one has, the stronger the mage. And as a keyblade Wielder, your circuits have adapted naturally over time. However, when one reaches maturity…it is rare, but entirely possible for the body's physical changes to unlock additional circuits as a result, possibly granting new and unexpected abilities, clairvoyance for example."

Sora's mouth dropped, struggling to wrap his brain around what was just said. But before he could say anything, Solomon continued "The dreams are merely a way for your body to cope with the alterations to your Magic Circuits. They will pass in time, but I can't promise that it will get easier"

Sora rubbed the sides of his temples "So you're telling me that this is what…Puberty Magic?" Sora asked. Solomon had to cover his mouth, stopping any laughter. "Well that's not exactly how I would put it, but we can go with that"

Sora looked back to Solomon "You said that this was a result of my Magic Circuits changing. Just curious but how many Magic circuits have you unlocked?" he asked

"All of them" Solomon answered plainly. "I've spent ages mastering all forms of magic, strengthening my own circuits, and rediscovering my purpose in life. As a result, I have very few limits in terms of magic. Some would even call me the King of Magic. But my level of magic wasn't my end goal, merely a stepping stone in fulfilling my purpose"

Sora should have been more been more surprised, but it would explain the vast amount of magical power simply radiating off of the man. "And what is your purpose exactly?"

"To guard…to protect…to inspire…to lead…to create...and to destroy. I am all of this and more" Sora remained silent, unsure of how to respond. "I'm not your enemy if that's what you're asking" Solomon continued "I'm merely trying to help you understand your gift"

"My gift…yea right…some gift. I'm curious, if I'm suddenly able to see into the future, then why was able to see into the past…my past…I'm not even sure how it could have been real." Sora pondered

"Hmm, that is actually a misconception." Solomon began "Clairvoyance isn't simply the act of seeing future events, but rather what remains unseen. That can be both the future…and the past. It is the act of pulling back the veil and seeing the hidden truths of the past…and unlocking the secrets of the future. Your dream back on the islands…the one with the shadow, it was very much real."

Sora clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in frustration "But that's impossible! I would've remembered something like that! And just what was that shadow anyway?"

Solomon placed his left hand atop his chest, pointing towards his heart. "Sometimes the heart will take a memory and seal it away. Perhaps from the sheer trauma of the event in question…" Solomon smiled warmly "…or sometimes it will seal a memory away, in order to make room for new and incredible ones."

"My heart…" Sora muttered "…sealed the memory away? Why…why would it do something like that?" Sora asked lowly

"Perhaps you simply weren't ready. Fate is known to be cruel like that. But it seems that you're ready now. As for what that thing…the shadow...whatever it was, I'm sorry but I do not know" Solomon admitted. Sora was genuinely surprised that he didn't have an answer. Solomon gave off the impression that he could tell you about everything.

"But what I do know is that the mysteries of the past hold great sway over the future. Your future. It's because of your dreams that you found yourself in Merlot Labs in the first place. And as a result, found your way to me"

Sora began thinking to himself, connecting his dreams together. His dream back on the islands, what the shadow said. "Then you shall face your second trial, the Reclamation of Fate. The Witch shall hold the keys of legend. The first of their kind. With their power she shall reclaim what was once taken from her" Sora said aloud "And then there was the man…um…Aced! He's there…in Merlot Labs."

Solomon laughed "And despite knowing that it was a trap, you went anyway." Sora looked to him with defiant eyes "I had to! What they were doing there…!" Solomon quickly cut him off "I'm not criticizing you, I applaud your bravery. It was the right decision, the Fallen…they can't be allowed to escape"

"The…Fallen?"

"The results of Dr. Martin's research. A true example of mankind extending its reach too far and now suffering the consequences. They are what remain of his victims. The Grimm in their most feral form. You will soon encounter them, along with the man you know as Aced." Solomon added

"But just who is Aced? What is he? What does he want from me anyway?"

Solomon began averting his gaze "Aced was once a rather impatient man…but loyal. Though he did have quite the temper sometimes. Perhaps that's why the others said he was like a bear…but none of that matters now." He said shaking his head "The man he once was is long gone…So to answer your question…The Keys of legend the shadow mentioned…Aced is one of them. A Foreteller."

"What's a fortell-"

"Did Yen Sid teach you nothing about the Keyblade's History? A Foreteller. One of the six first Keyblade Wielders. The ones responsible for the Keyblade War?" he asked. Sora simply shrugged his shoulders in response "so how is he still alive after all this time?"

Solomon's face fell "Alive…I suppose you could call it that. He is merely an echo of what once was. The result of reaching into the great flow of Kingdom Hearts and being dragged out. All because of Xehanort" This sparked Sora's attention immediately. Solomon continued "You see, as Xehanort opened Kingdom Hearts, someone else took advantage of the situation and managed to extract the hearts of the Foretellers…well all but one at least"

Sora crossed his arms and thought for a few moments. "The Witch?!" he shouted in realization. Solomon nodded "Precisely. And with the Foretellers under her command, the next step of your journey begins"

"What exactly do they want with me?" Sora asked

Solomon scratched his chin nervously "It..isn't necessarily you but what you possess." Solomon raised his arm, pointing to Sora "X - blade!"

"The X - Blade?..." Sora began and shook his head "The X - blade disappeared after we defeated Xehanort" Solomon shook his head in response "No it merely dismissed itself. It is simply waiting for when it will be called upon once more"

"And...what exactly does the Witch and her Foretellers want with the X - Blade?" Sora asked. "To spread Chaos throughout the world..." Solomon paused, his face crestfallen. "...When you encounter them, they will try to win you over. Everything that he tells you is nothing more than a lie. Aced and the rest of the Foretellers are but puppets of the enemy they claim to be fighting against. Regardless of what you hear, you mustn't trust them. They will bring only destruction."

Sora hunched over in defeat. "Aw man, can't I just have some peace"

Solomon cocked his head and smiled "Hey you said it yourself when you formed the Guardians. Regardless of what you've done, Darkness may rise again. And when that time came, you would be there to answer the call" Sora looked back up to Solomon, surprised to hear his own words used against him.

"Well Sora? Darkness has returned and I'm expecting you to answer the call. Will you stand for the Light?" Sora thought this sounded less of a suggestion and more of an order "You already know my answer" Sora answered confidently. "Good, I guess that bring us to the next order of busi-" Solomon began before begin promptly cut off "Why?" Sora asked

Solomon looked to the boy curiously "I'm sorry?"

"Why did you really bring me here? And don't tell me it was simply because you saw I needed help. All this stuff you've told me, you've been waiting for me and you've been watching me. So there's clearly some other reason you brought me here, something you're not telling me." Sora answered

Solomon remained silent for few moments. He simply stared at the boy in front of him, contemplating his response. "You are correct, I've been waiting for this moment for...a very long time. There is so much I cannot tell you, at least not yet. I brought you here because I have a…let's just say invested interest…in the continued stability of time itself. The Foretellers…the Witch…I can't risk them disrupting the flow and changing the course of history." He paused, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth "what once was…is…and will be…must be kept intact! That is why I need you Sora! I need your help to see my mission through. So please, will you help me?"

Sora smiled, nodded his head, and saluted "Yes! You can count on me! If these Foretellers are as dangerous as you say they are, then it's my responsibility to stop them."

Solomon sighed a breath of relief "Thank you. Now as I was saying before, our next order of business is…is…huh?" Solomon drifted off, his attention turning towards something on his right arm. Sora looked down, seeing a single black etching on Solomon's arm now glowing an electric blue. It was the only line that had changed, the rest remained black. Solomon began speaking towards the glowing tattoo "We can count on him, he's more than worthy Baal!" Suddenly another tattoo, located a few inches above the first began glowing a fiery orange. Solomon turned his attention towards the new glow and spoke once more "Amon, give him a break! He was simply curious. He didn't mean to be rude"

"Um…who are you talking to?" Sora cut in. Solomon jumped straight to attention, the two tattoos glow had faded, returning to their normal black coloring. "Oh…sorry, those were just Baal and Amon, some of my Djinn."

"Your Djinn?"

"Sorry. I almost forgot…only a few people are aware of their existence" Solomon muttered. "Well to put it simply, Djinn are kind of like…oh! They're kind of like Genie! From Agrabah...except they dont grant wishes..."

Sora jumped up excitedly "Wow! Really? That's so cool! Can I see them?" Solomon shook his head. "Unfortunately they can no longer materialize their physical forms. You see, long ago I made a pact with them. They were dying…and the only way I could save them was to have them inhabit my body. So in exchange for lending me their power, I would keep them safe." Solomon pointed to his head "Now its just me and seventy two Djinn running around! Every one of the tattoos on my arms represents a different Djinn!" He extended his arms outward, giving Sora a clear view of both his arms. Seventy two different patterns marked his arms in all directions

Sora's eyes widened in shock "Seventy Two!? You have Seventy two of them inside you? Why would you do that?"

Solomon began nervously scratching the back of his head "Let's just say…I didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. But it was necessary, and its helped me get to where I am today"

"Um…ok then…well…what were they talking about? If you don't mind me asking." Sora asked. Solomon smiled "Of course! Well the first one…" Solomon began pointing to the first tattoo that glowed. Its electric blue glow returned once more "…That's Baal, the Djinn of Wrath and Heroes. He was…well…questioning your strength...and your worth...as a warrior. But you've done more for the worlds than most, there's little question of your worth." He looked towards the tattoo of Baal "That should suffice, correct?" He asked. Sora waited for a response but heard nothing but silence "I can't hear anything" Sora said.

"Only I can both see and hear them, Sora. He just begrudgingly agreed that you are indeed worthy. Now as for the second one…" Solomon said, pointing towards the other tattoo, its fiery orange returning "…This is Amon, the Djinn of Politeness and Austerity, he believed the manner of your questions was rather rude and somewhat hostile"

Sora's face flushed red. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, I'm just a little on edge lately" he apologized

Solomon looked to the tattoo of Amon and then back at Sora "He says he understands and he appreciates your sincerity"

Sora nodded. Pissing off powerful magical beings was probably the last thing he wanted to do. Suddenly two new tattoos began glowing. One by his wrist on his left arm, and the other by his left elbow. Solomon looked at both of the tattoos and began looking nervous "Do I really have to tell him that" a few moments of silence went by and Solomon turned to Sora. "Fine" he said. He pointed to the one by his wrist, it glowed pure white, but Sora swore he could see what looked like tornadoes swirling around within its glow. "This is Paimon, she's the Djinn of Maniacal Love and Chaos" Solomon began, his face slightly red "She wanted me to tell you that she thinks your adorable when you apologize and…that she wouldn't mind getting to know you better" Sora turned red from embarrassment. Was a Djinn hitting on him? Solomon began pointing to the other tattoo by his left elbow. It glowed purple, emitting a strange energy which seemed to negate the laws of gravity "This is Leraje, she's the Djinn of Grief and Cruelty. She was agreeing with Paimon and wished she had a man like you in her life" Solomon said shaking his head in shame. Sora could tell that these Djinn were quite the cast of characters.

"So, have all these Djinn…all seventy two…been here…this whole time?" Sora questioned

Solomon nodded in response. "Yes, they are always with me. They only stayed silent up until now because they were excited to meet you and hear you speak. But I suppose a few of them wanted to get a quick word in before I sent you back to Merlot Labs."

"You're sending me back to Merlot Labs?" Sora fretted. "Of course." Solomon replied "The Fallen still have to be eliminated and Aced still awaits you. You must confront them, and show them the strength of your heart. And no matter what happens, you must press on."

Sora took a few steps back, cowering at the thought of returning, especially with all of the new found knowledge Solomon has given him. The creature he saw before, would he really have to fight some kind of Grimm – human hybrids? And then there was Aced. If he really was some powerful ancient keyblade wielder, then he'd have no chance at winning.

"I know you're scared" Solomon began "But right now you need to be brave. So much is hanging on your shoulders."

"That's a huge burden to hold alone…" Sora muttered. Solomon rose to his feet and approached Sora, "You won't be alone, I'll be watching over you the whole time." Solomon waved his hand, emitting a quick golden glow. Sora felt a slight stinging sensation on his left hand. He stared at it, watching as an eight pointed star materialized. With the star now imprinted onto his hand, the pain stopped. Sora looked back up to Solomon with wide eyes

"If you find yourself in desperate need, simply invoke my name and I will come to your aid. I will lend you my power but not my strength." Solomon insisted. Sora nodded, confidence flooding his senses.

"Very well, I do believe its time I send you on your way" Solomon intertwined his fingers, closed his eyes, and began muttering silent chants. He almost looked as if he was praying. Suddenly all seventy two tattoos on Solomon's arms began glowing simultaneously. Each and every one of them emitted golden light.

The same golden light began enveloping Sora, slowing crawling up his legs and covering his body. "Sora" Solomon's voice rung out, snapping Sora into attention. The light began covering Sora's face, blurring his vision. Solomon looked distressed, opening his mouth to say something but averting his gaze instead. He then looked back to Sora with a small smile "May your heart be your guiding Key" was the last thing Solomon said before Sora's vision went black

…

…

…

* * *

 **Merlot Labs**

Sora opened his eyes, the world returning to normal. He quickly rose to his feet, adjusting to the darkness. He was back in Merlot Labs. Turning to his right was the room where he found Dr. Martin's logs. Its entryway now blocked by rubble and debris. "I'm back…" he said aloud. He looked down at his left hand, staring at the mark Solomon had given him. "I won't let you down"

Sora looked up to see that the door leading to the Advanced Testing chambers had been blown wide open, several large great swords sticking out from its edges. "Archer must have went through here after jumping me" He snapped into attention as he heard a familiar hissing noise coming from down the hall. "Sss…sol…Solo….sss…sol"

Sora summoned his Kingdom Key, he had to be ready for the fight ahead "The Grimm Solomon mentioned. The Fallen…Humans who were tortured and twisted into abominations." He gripped his Keyblade, mustering all the courage he had, and entered the Advanced Testing Chambers. Immediately upon entering, Sora found himself in a long hallway, the walls decorated with large cylindrical chambers. Sora lost count how many he could see. Thirty, forty on each side of the hall, maybe more? Sora walked towards the distant sound of hissing, holding his keyblade close.

Sora stopped not even halfway down the hallway, looking to the testing chamber closest to him. The large tube was still sealed, its control panel intact. What caught Sora's attention however, was the body that simply laid inside. It was hunched over, still holding on to the glass as he died. Sora could see scratch marks dotting the tube's surface. Upon closer inspection, Sora could see a thick black substance that spread itself across the man's body. It covered nearly every part of him, albeit his face and parts of his chest. Sora approached the small control panel and observed it. It still had power, despite everything. He could see all of the subjects vitals, all flat lined of course. "The Meta? Huh. Interesting name…" Sora muttered. Sora's eyes drifted towards the bottom of the console, noticing the word "Subjects". Sora clicked it, curious to see what would happen. To his surprise a new screen popped up.

The new screen had a list of four names, each listed from one to four. Currently the third name was highlighted. Curious, Sora pressed the fourth subject's name. Within moments the chamber shifted slightly, and began rotating downwards. Sora stepped back, watching in horror as the tube seemed to disappear under the ground, a new one emerging from the wall. The new tube's glass was shattered, blood stained across the surface. The control panel changed, now displaying the name John Clayton.

Sora looked around him, noting how many testing chambers he could see. If they all were structured to rotate between four different subjects, there could very well be hundreds of the artificial Grimm. "Sss…Sol…sss" hissed in the distance.

Sora took a deep breath, and pressed on. He passed by testing chamber after testing chamber, each one presenting a different horror. Some still had bodies inside, twisted and mutilated as their conversion process failed. Some were shattered open, scientists laying along the broken glass. Some were even completely filled with a thick black liquid. "Just how many people did they torture in this place?" Sora said to himself.

Eventually Sora found himself at the end of the hall, standing in front of an open doorway. Looking inside, it appeared to be a single room, Sora could see two rows of additional testing chambers, five in each row. It didn't appear as if they were connected to a platform, so it was safe to assume that these were the only subjects in the room. Stepping into the room, Sora shot up as he heard a loud crack! Looking down, he saw that he had stepped on a clipboard.

Sora bent down, picking up the clipboard and brushed it off. There was small note attached to it. "It's a note from one of the doctors Dr. Martin mentioned in his logs…Dr. Invi" Sora began perusing the notes contents "Please relay this message to Dr. Martin immediately. Additional volunteers have been acquired, moving them off site due to influx of subjects here presently. Will conduct research…" Sora gulped nervously "…privately with trusted colleagues." Sora threw the board aside, letting it break across the wall. Sora's eyes were full of fear "They made even more of these things outside the facility…they could…they could be anywhere"

Suddenly Sora heard a buzzing from his pockets, causing him to jump. He quickly pulled out his scroll, seeing a message from Ven pop up "Where are you man, we haven't heard from you all day yesterday. Your gonna miss Team RWBY's match!"

Sora's expression became despondent. Sora began typing, replying "Sorry, had to go on a mission. A lot has happened. Let everyone know I'm ok. I'll be there soon" Sora slid his scroll back into his pocket, feeling a bit better. But suddenly another buzzing sound rang out in the room. Sora felt his pocket, noticing that it wasn't his. Sora looked towards the front of the room, a small light could be seen off the ground. Sora approached the light, seeing a scroll buzzing along the ground. Directly next to the scroll was a fallen chair, burnt rope could be seen wrapped around its legs. The body of a young woman could be seen, motionless and devoid of life. Sora approached the body, noticing that she had no visible wounds. He gently placed his hands on her side, attempting to turn her over. But as soon as he touched the girl, her body began breaking apart piece by piece, fading away like dust in the wind. Her whole body just evaporated, leaving no trace behind.

Sora, gently clenched his fist, blaming himself for not being here sooner. These people should have been stopped. These people could have been saved.

Sora picked up the scroll. It had thirty missed calls from the girl's father. And that was only in the last ten minutes. Sora cleared the screen and was able to see the Scroll's background image. It was a picture of three people. The young woman in the middle, a tall middle aged man on her left, and a familiar woman on her right. "That's Maria Faraday. So this girl must have been…her daughter." Sora laid the scroll onto the ground and stood up.

"Ssss…sol…sss…so" a voice hissed behind him. Sora leaped backwards and faced the source of the voice. The creature was only a few feet in front of him, now in full view for the first time. It had a tall and slender appearance. Its arms and legs were long, the creature's hands razor sharp claws. Its ribs were visible and protruding from its chest, twisted and mangled. Its skin was completely black and its eyes were glowing a deep blood red.

Red energy emanated from its mouth as it growled at Sora. "Sss…ssol…sol…ss" it hissed. Sora readied his Keyblade. The sudden action seemed to agitate the creature and it began twitching erratically. "So this is what he was talking about. An abomination born from the agony of those unlucky enough to be thrown into this hellhole. The Fallen"

The Fallen's erratic movements increased "Sss...Sol…sss...Solomon….Solomon….Solooomooon!" It began screeching, unleashing an ear splitting scream. Sora had never seen a Grimm speak before, then again this creature wasn't always a Grimm. What's more surprising was their apparent obsession with Solomon, just what was his role in all of this?

The Fallen lunged at Sora, its claws extended. Sora readied his blade and swung at it horizontally. 'It doesn't matter, it's still just a Grimm. I'll take care of this!' he thought. Just as he was about to make contact with the creature, the Fallen ducked the attack and left a quick slash along Sora's legs. He gritted his teeth as he tried to fight through the sudden and sharp pain. He recovered, placing his keyblade above his head, and swinging downwards. The fallen quickly shot up, grabbing hold of Sora's Keyblade as it came down. With its free claw, it began slashing at Sora's face, slicing his cheek and stunning him for a moment. The Fallen leaned in close, its snarling teeth demanding death.

It screamed directly into Sora's face, its blood red eyes filling Sora's vision "Solomon…must…Die…!" With its free hand it pushed Sora with monstrous strength, sending Sora flying backwards through one of the glass testing chambers, shattering it completely. Sora slowly rose, mindful of all the small pieces of glass that pierced his body. He looked up to see the Fallen lunge towards him. Sora quick on his feet pointed his Keyblade and fired off some magic "Firaga!" The tip of Sora's keyblade ignited into flames, firing off a powerful fireball towards the creature.

The Fallen, in response, leaped onto the ceiling completely dodging the attack, crawling along its surface like a spider. 'That's pretty creepy' Sora thought. The Fallen crawled along the ceiling, searching through the smoke left behind the Firaga. As the smoke cleared, the Fallen stopped and stared at Sora before screaming once more "Solomon…Die!" It leapt down, landing back on its feet and extended its right arm to its side.

"Gwaaarr!" Sora found himself frozen as he watched currents of black electricity gather around the creature's hand, slowly forming a black orb. "It has some kind of energy attack?!" Sora yelled. "Thats new" The creature propelled its arm forward, throwing the ball of black energy directly at Sora. It wasn't too big, about the size of Wakka's Blitzball, but it was heading towards him fast. Sora held onto his blade with both hands, making sure that he had a firm grip. Sora brought his blade above his head and brought it down at an angle, hoping to cut the blast in half. He sliced straight through the orb, watching with glee as it dissipated. Unfortunately, small slivers of the orb managed to reform, striking Sora directly in the eyes.

"Gah!" Sora cried as the black energy blinded him. He feverishly swiped away at his eyes in order to clear his vision. But Sora could tell the Fallen was already gearing up for another attack. The Fallen contorted itself, it could feel its prey on its last legs. "D…Die!" It screamed as it lunged onto Sora, pushing his back onto the ground. The Fallen stood above him, its claws extended, ready to tear Sora to shreds. Sora held his Keyblade in front of his face, hoping he could last long enough to regain his vision.

"Sss…Solomon…Die!" it chanted as it repeatedly swiped at Sora's arms, trying desperately to reach his throat. Sora simply remained in place, holding the Kingdom Key close, gritting his teeth as the monster gave him more and more wounds along his arms. "Die…Die…Die…Solomon!" After giving him several more slash marks, the Fallen brought his hands together, interlocking his fingers, and began pounding Sora's chest. There was little Sora could do but simply take it. The fallen slammed his fist into Sora's chest four more times, each time causing Sora to cry out in pain. Sora could hear some of his ribs crack as the creature mustered all its strength into its attacks. The Fallen brought its long arms overhead once more, "Gwaaaarr!" It screeched as it brought its fists down onto Sora's chest. Sora coughed out some blood and began losing his grip on his Keyblade. The creature, now seeing an opening, shifted its focus to the blade, quickly swiping it away and sending it flying across the room.

Sora was now wide open and defenseless. Some of his vision had returned, he was able to make out the Creature standing directly over him, ready to end his life. The Fallen readied its right claw and brought it down across Sora's throat

* * *

 **Amity Coliseum**

The final match of the day and last of the first set of doubles matches.

Weiss and Yang were desperately fighting off their opponents from Atlas, Team FNKI. Currently Weiss was occupied with the cool headed Flynt Coal. Meanwhile Yang was having…difficulties…against the eccentric Neon Katt.

Watching from the stands were Ruby and Blake. Directly next to Blake was Riku, who was currently sharing some popcorn with Roxas and Xion. Next to Ruby was Ven, who was currently finishing off a couple hot dogs bathed in Ketchup. He was screaming towards the arena, cheering on Weiss, bits of food flying out from his mouth and onto the unfortunate soul who sat in front of him. Directly next to Ven was Kairi, who was happily chatting up Sun Wukong.

Ven finally managed to swallow his food and began yelling once more "Come on Weiss! Don't let Mr. Jazz Hands pin you in a corner, get at his back…huh?" Suddenly Ven's scroll began buzzing. He pulled it out, seeing it was a message from Sora. He tapped Ruby on the shoulder in order to get her attention. He handed her the scroll, letting her read the message. She gave long sigh of relief, a smile spreading across her face "Thank goodness"

Unbeknownst to Ruby, Sun had noticed the sudden change and shot her a quick glare before relaxing. "Hey what's going on?" he asked. Ruby turned excitedly "We just got a message from Sora"

Kairi shot up, "He's been gone for over a day, what happened to him?" Ruby shrugged "I don't know yet, but he said he'll be back soon."

Sun, or rather Gula, cringed internally. 'What has taken that boy so long? Aced should have approached him ages ago!' he thought to himself. Kairi turned around, seeing the troubled expression on Sun's face "Hey, something wrong?" Sun jumped up, trying to act cool "Yea, just a bit hungry! I'll be back, I'm gonna get some snacks, you want anything?"

"No I'm fine, thanks! But try to get back here fast, the match might end soon" Kairi insisted

Sun turned and began walking away, malicious intent in his eyes "Yes it will be" he muttered under his breath

* * *

 **Merlot Labs**

Sora managed to summon his Kingdom Key back into his hands, casting some last second magic "Reflega!" Sora shouted, creating a dome of light around him. As soon as the Fallen brought its claw down, it was sent flying back. Sora rose to his feet, using his keyblade as support. He could see again, but just barely. He groaned as he felt his ribs cracking with each movement.

Sora stared at the Fallen, who was now rising on its two feet. Its claws were extended and its eyes flared. "Ssss…die…" In a swift movement the creature brought its hand together in front, creating an audible clap. As it separated its hands from each other, Sora could see black currents of energy flowing between them, creating a new orb. "This attack again?"

As the Fallen continued to spread its arms farther and farther apart, the orb continued to grow. It was now nearly the size of the creature itself. Black electricity sparked and struck parts of the ceiling. The orb of dark energy was still increasing in size. Sora knew there was only one way he could match the same level of energy as the Fallen. Sora stumbled a little bit, pointing his Keyblade straight up. He needed to gather as much light as he could muster. "Please…please, work" he begged the keyblade as small particles of light began gathering around its tip.

"Sss…Soooollll!" The Fallen screamed as the orb grew nearly twice the creature's size, its energy scraping against the ceiling. The Fallen raised both its arms overhead, holding the massive energy bomb above it. Sora closed his eyes, feeling the light gather throughout his body and fill his Keyblade.

"Die!" The creature screamed as it threw the massive ball of energy towards Sora. Sora, stood in place, his body radiating in new found light. He opened his eyes, staring at the oncoming bomb with defiant eyes. "Faith!" Suddenly the ground around Sora erupted, summoning several pillars of light that began pushing outwards towards the blast. They collided, each wrestling for domination. The massive influx of energy resulted in a small explosion, sending shockwaves throughout the room and destroying all of the testing chambers.

Sora fell to one knee holding onto the Keyblade for additional support. That attack took a lot of energy out of him. This Grimm was no pushover. As the smoke cleared, Sora could see the Fallen still standing, untouched and unfazed. It began growling and moving erratically. It has had just enough of this fight. It was time to end it. It slowly bent its knees as it prepared to lunge at Sora once more.

Sora was still barely standing. He was breathing heavily as he stumbled into his normal fighting stance. 'One Faith couldn't have drained all my energy like this, what's going on?' he thought. 'Damn it! I gotta get up! Just a little bit more!'

"Gwarrrr…Solomooon!" The fallen yelled as it lunged towards Sora, leaping into the air with its claws fully extended. Sora, closed his eyes, focusing on his grip, he had to make his attack count. Seconds passed by, each feeling like an eternity. When he could feel his enemy's claws only inches from his face, Sora quickly dodge rolled to his right, quickly turning and firing off a small blast of ice "Blizzaga!" To Sora's luck, the spell hit its mark, covering the beast in a small frosty shell. Sora closed in on his target, bringing down his keyblade across the monsters chest, and then once more straight through its head, cleaving it straight off. As the ice disappeared, the Fallen stood still for a few moments before falling to the ground and fading away.

Sora bent over, dropping his keyblade and placing his hands on his knees. He was breathing hard and smiling though the pain inflicted onto his body. "Finally!" he shouted. "And there's more where that came from!" he laughed. Sora took a moment observing all the wounds the Fallen inflicted on him in their brief encounter. Large slash marks dotted his chest and all around his arms. He struggled to stand up straight, a few of his ribs were probably broken. The dark stream of energy that blinded him still stung like hell and his clothing was torn up all over. "And that…that…was only one of them?" Sora said to himself. "I have…to be…more careful" he said, still struggling to catch his breath. "That was just dumb luck, has to be some better way of taking out these things"

Sora shuddered at the thought of how many Fallen were created…and how much destruction they could cause if they ever got out. Just one of them was able to read my attacks, avoid them, and hit me with just as much power. "Who knows what would have happened if that blast of energy actually hit me" He had never seen a Grimm do that before. "But why was it so obsessed with Solomon? What wasn't he telling me?"

Sora stood up straight and readied his keyblade "Curaga!" A regenerating green energy surrounded Sora, healing him of his wounds. Sora could breathe easier now, his rib cage fully healed. Ok, gotta keep pressing on…Gah!" Sora stopped as he looked at his arms, noticing the slash marks that the Fallen inflicted still remained. Only now there were small streams of darkness flowing out from his body like smoke from a fire.

Sora looked down at his chest, noting all of the slash wounds that remained as well, streams of darkness flowing out from his wounds. Sora was perplexed, all of his injuries where the Fallen had struck him with its claws remained. Sora could feel his mana return to him, maybe another try would do the trick. "Curaga!" A burst of green energy surrounded Sora, and faded away. Despite the spell, his wounds remained.

After about a minute the dark streams evaporating form his body subsided. Feeling dizzy, Sora gripped the sides of his head. For a brief moment, darkness flashed around his body, his eyes turned briefly bright yellow, and his vision went black. In a few moments his vision cleared up and and the pain subsided. Something was wrong. Sora could tell that something was...off. He felt heavier, his heart was beating like crazy. He was sweating and breathing heavily "Just what...what did that Grimm do to me?"

Sora looked up, the Cafeteria was just down the next hall. Sora shuddered as the sounds of hissing echoed throughout the building. Standing just outside of the of the cafeteria door, Sora could see four more Fallen. They hissed, noticing Sora's presence "Sss...sss...sol" they hissed. But instead of coming towards Sora, they all turned their heads in unison, turning and running into the cafeteria.

Sora walked forward, placing his left arm along the wall for support. He began his slow march towards the cafeteria, grimacing each time he moved, his wounds still bleeding. "if im gonna fight more of these things...and not to mention this Aced...I may need to use a drive form" Sora admitted to himself. As much of a boost as that would give him, Sora didn't like to use his drive forms. He didn't want to risk transforming into...the other one.

After a few minutes of making his way toward the cafeteria, Sora stopped and began gripping his head once more. The pain from before suddenly returned and his wounds began leaking streams of darkness once more. Darkness flashed around his body once more before returning to normal. When the pain stopped, Sora continued and entered the dining hall.

The area was dark, the only light was that of the windows. He could see long tables lined up in several rows, old food trays dotting the surface of both the ground and the tables. There was no sign of anyone or anything. The Fallen's hissing could still be heard in the distance.

"Hmm that is rather interesting." A voice rung out. Sora jumped back, summoning his Kingdom Key. His body still ached from all of the wounds the Fallen gave him.

Sora turned around, seeing a tall man standing at the opposite end of the cafeteria. He wore a dark grey bear mask and a tan hooded cloak over a light brown robe, shirt, and sash. "His scent lingers on you. Why is that?"

"What are you talking about?" Sora demanded. The man remained silent, shaking his head "Solomon." He said plainly "You reek of his scent. How is that possible?"

Sora gripped his keyblade, keeping it ready. Aced breathed deeply "you saw him, didn't you? Why reveal himself now?"

Sora narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth "Why does he matter to you?" he snarled. Aced stood, devoid of any emotion "Solomon is the only thing that matters to my Mistress. He is the key to holding back the chaos."

Sora lowered his keyblade slightly "The chaos?" Aced walked forward a bit, getting closer to Sora "I suppose he told you about us. I suppose you know who I am?" He questioned

Sora nodded "You're Aced. One of the Foretellers." Aced walked forward, closing the distance between him and Sora. He nodded "Yes, and I suppose he told you that I'd lie to you so I can win you over. Am I on the right track?"

"What do you want with me? Why did you lead me here?" Sora demanded. Aced stopped moving, simply staring through Sora, his bear mask concealing his gaze. "My mistress asked me to bring you here so we could make you an offer." He admitted

"What kind of offer?"

Aced smiled "One that could save the world. But it all rests on you…" Aced pointed towards the young keyblade master "…Sora…the X – Blade's chosen one." Sora narrowed his eyes, he didn't like the idea of using the X – blade. Before he could respond, Aced continued to speak "This world is dying, it will soon be engulfed by Chaos."

"You mean the darkness?" Sora interjected. Aced shook his head "No, something far more malevolent…Chaos…a primordial force hell bent on destroying all of creation. We are the only ones capable of stopping it." Sora remembered what Solomon had told him 'They are but puppets of the enemy they claim to be fighting against' Aced continued "The Chaos is far more menacing than anything the darkness could throw at you."

Aced walked a few steps forward, now only a few feet in front of Sora "With your help, my mistress can finally reclaim her home. Then we can find Solomon…and kill him." Aced said through his teeth.

"Why do you want Solomon dead?" Sora questioned, raising his Keyblade in front of him

Aced cocked his head "Why should you care? You just met the man."

"Because I don't want to see anybody killed!" Sora barked. Aced sighed "So naïve…Sora...Solomon is the source of the Chaos."

"What?" Sora was stunned, what did he mean? Aced continued "His sin gave birth to the chaos. It was his sin that gave rise to the Keyblade war! It was his sin that drove Xehanort to madness!"

"Xehanort?" Sora thought back to when he defeated Xehanort. He thought about what he said. 'It seems, that all this time, I've been following a lie. They told me I would be able to change the world.'

"Solomon…" Sora muttered. "Yes, Solomon was the one who drove Xehanort down his path. It is because of Solomon that the worlds were ever put in danger. It is because of Solomon that you and your friends experienced such pain and such heartbreak. If anyone is your enemy, it is Solomon"

Sora had trouble wrapping his head around this. Although his encounter was brief, there was no way someone like Solomon was capable of that. Aced spoke once more "Solomon hides somewhere within the Root of Kingdom Hearts. And with the full power of the Foretellers in addition to the X – Blade's, we can open a path…a path to its Root." Sora averted his gaze. Aced noticed the sudden action "You must understand, Long ago Solomon ruled over the denizens that reside within the Root of Kingdom Hearts. And with the emergence of Chaos, violence spread throughout the realm. Then one day he suddenly disappeared…the chaos destroyed everything and everyone in its path."

Sora looked back up "And what does your mistress…the witch…whoever she is…what's this have to do with her?" Sora asked

Aced stomped his foot, causing the entire floor to shake underneath them "Do not call her a witch! She is a victim, just like you and your friends! Everything she ever knew was taken away from her because of Solomon's sin…because of the Chaos he created! The longer he lives, the more the chaos will spread. Soon it will be too late! But if we kill him…the chaos will be vulnerable."

"But just what is the "Chaos"? Sora questioned. "Join me, and I'll show you. Then you will understand" Aced said, extending his hand "Together we can create a world without pain, without hurt. You can finally have peace, don't you want that?"

The truth is that he did want that, more than anything. Maybe this could be his chance of finally obtaining that. Of making the dream he and Ruby share a reality. "What would you need me to do?" Sora asked. Aced smile "Quite simply we only need you to call upon the X-Blade…properly…and open the door to Kingdom Hearts. Then, with the full power of the Foretellers, we would open a path to the Root of Kingdom Hearts. That is…once we restore Luxu"

"Luxu?" Sora questioned. Aced nodded "The sixth Foreteller. His heart never returned to the great flow of Kingdom Hearts. But his power still exists, split into four pieces around Remnant"

Sora's face fell. He gritted his teeth and held his Kingdom Key in front of him tightly "So you want me…to open Kingdom Hearts?"

Aced raised an eyebrow behind his mask "Yes. But it must be done properly…fully attuned to the forces of both light and darkness."

"That's…that's it?" Sora muttered

"Yes, that is all. Then we will handle the rest. As a Foreteller it is our sacred duty to preserve and protect the light. Long ago we were taught that the darkness was our enemy, but that was a lie. We didn't see the real threat." Aced paused "Our own master..." he muttered under his breath

"Grrr…Do you realize how many people got hurt…no…how many people died because of Xehanort opening Kingdom Hearts?! The worlds were thrown into darkness! Families were torn apart, lives were lost, and you wanna do that again?!" Sora shouted

Aced stood there, his smile long since faded. "A terrible price to pay. Xehanort's quest to open Kingdom Hearts undoubtedly ruined the lives of millions. But it was a necessary loss…one that will have to be made again." He said menacingly

"What…what do you mean?" Sora implored.

Aced frowned "To achieve peace, the foundations of the old world must be torn down in order to forge a new one. The chaos will act as a catalyst for change. Opening the path to the Root of Kingdom Hearts and killing Solomon will undoubtedly release the chaos into the mortal realm…but it will be vulnerable…it will be weak…it can be defeated."

"So what? You're willing to kill millions of people in order to beat this thing!?" Sora snarled. "TO SAVE BILLIONS!" Aced protested. Sora's face fell. His hands were trembling and he was shaking his head. "No…I can't…there has to be a better way" Sora pleaded

"There is no other way, Sora. There will be losses, but no more than will be lost if we do nothing." Aced concluded. Sora shook his head in defiance, standing with his keyblade at his side. "No! I won't let you then. Nobody is opening Kingdom Hearts! Nobody is dying! I'll find another way, with or without you!" he shouted "I'll fight and win. I won't let fear compromise who I am!"

Aced frowned, his movements became stiff. A quick flash of light surrounded Aced's right hand. When the light faded he was now holding a large brown blade, ultimately shaped like a claw. A symbol of a bear could be seen on its hilt.

"Very well. Don't say I didn't offer you the chance. I came here with one goal, find you and bring you back with me. But I was never told you had to come willingly"

The two warriors stood opposite each other, silence filled the hall. Within moments they both lunged towards each other, ready to fight for their beliefs.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I know not much happened but you were introduced to Solomon, a major player for the future of this story. Again I know this chapter might have been a bit lengthy, but I cant help myself sometimes. Please feel free to leave any questions, comments or predictions in the reviews. Or just message me if you want to ask me something.**

 **Please Favorite, Follow, and Review!**

 **Next chapter: Agent of Chaos**

 **Until next time!**

 **InfiniteKingdom**


	17. Update - Returning soon

Guardians of Remnant update

Will delete this later

Hey I apologize for not updating in over a year, I'm really sorry for that. To make this quick the last year has been really busy for me and whenever I wanted to sit down and write, time simply got away from me. Im currently heading toward my finals this semester but I promise that I will properly sit down and upload the next chapter within the next week or two. Despite not writing I have spent a lot of free time reworking and expanding the story that I have planned. Believe me by the whole series end things will get pretty crazy

But until then I suppose I can give you what to look forward to in the future of this story

Next chapter will be the battle between Sora and Aced, which will have lasting ramifications in the future. It will also include a new revelation regarding the Keyblade War and the role that the mysterious Solomon will play.

Beyond that chapter there will also be a huge battle in Amity coliseum following a certain match

A dance for everyone to cool down and relax, although it wont be fun and games for everyone when things begin escalating

And in time the Fall of Beacon! Who will live, who will die, and how will the characters of this story split off and grow?

Until then,

InfiniteKingdom


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